green-mango-slaw

Green Mango Slaw with Papaya Seed Dressing

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

Here is a tropical change from the usual celery seed coleslaw. Allow the dressing to sit as long as possible to build up the heat. From the article Mango Madness!

Ingredients

2 green mangos, peeled and pitted
1/2 papaya, peeled, reserving 3 tablespoons of the seeds
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
Chopped fresh watercress for garnish

Dressing:

1/2 papaya, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 habanero chile, stemmed, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons papaya seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Julienne cut the mangoes and papaya in strips 1/4-inch wide and 2 inches long. Combine the mango, papaya, cabbage, and onion in a bowl.

To make the dressing, place the papaya, sugar, vinegar, habanero, and papaya seeds in a blender and, with the machine running, slowly add the oil. Puree until blended and the papaya seeds look like ground pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add just enough of the dressing to lightly coat the salad, garnish with the watercress, and serve.

green mango salsa

Marie’s Green Mango Chutney

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

One evening at Marie Permenter’s house in Trinidad, with Scotch-and-coconut water cocktails in hand, Mary Jane and I began discussing the versatility of mangos. Marie dashed into the kitchen and proceeded to whip up the following chutney for us to taste. Because of the ingredients, one would think that the taste is overwhelming. But quite the contrary; it is delicate and can be used as a dip for chips (plantain chips work well), vegetables, or crackers. Spanish thyme is also known as Indian borage (Coleus amboinicus), and Cuban oregano. Its origin is unknown, but it is grown as a fresh herb in many parts of the Caribbean. From the article Mango Madness!

Ingredients

1 head garlic, peeled, pureed in a blender
4 green mangos, peeled, pits removed, and coarsely diced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 Congo pepper or habanero, seeds and stems removed, minced
1 pinch salt
4 leaves Shadow Bennie (culantro) or substitute 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 leaf Spanish thyme or substitute 1 teaspoon fresh thyme and 1/2 teaspoon fresh Greek oregano

Instructions

Combine all ingredients with the garlic in the blender and blend until the mixture is very fine and almost runny. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for later use. Bring to room temperature before serving.

pineapple mango salsa

Pineapple-Mango Salsa Soup

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Here’s a cold soup with a wonderfully fruity taste. It nicely combines mangos and Scotch bonnet chiles, but you can substitute any fresh chile that you have on hand. From the article Mango Madness!

Ingredients

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped Scotch bonnet
1 cup chopped mango
1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste

Instructions

Place the pineapple, cucumbers, green onion, Scotch bonnet, mango, and bell pepper in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients and salt to taste and stir well.

Cover and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Stacked Red Chile Enchiladas

Stacked Red Chile Enchiladas

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

This is the classic enchilada dish served at the early 1960s Albuquerque restaurant, Videz, owned by Pete Benavidez. The restaurant was torn down to make way for Interstate 40, but the recipe lives on. From the article Albuquerque’s Food History is All About Chiles.

Ingredients

6-8 dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon ground Mexican oregano
1/2 pound pork, either cubed from a roast, or chops, or even bones with meat
1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds very lean ground beef
12 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil for frying
2 cups grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 medium onion, chopped

Instructions

In a large pot, cover the chiles with very hot water and soak for 20 to 30 minutes or until limp and partially rehydrated. Place the chiles in the blender (they should loosely fill 3/4 of the container, if more, make two small batches.) Fill the container up near the top with water. Drop in the clove of garlic and sprinkle the top with the oregano. Add a little salt at this stage if you wish. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes on high or until a homogeneous or orangish-red mixture is obtained.

Pour the mixture into a saucepan and add the pork. Cook, covered over a very low heat or uncovered at a slight bubble, for 2 to 3 hours. If cooked uncovered, periodically add water back to original level to maintain proper consistency which I can only describe as medium soupy.

Remove the pork pieces and save for another meal such as carne adovada. Place the chile sauce in the refrigerator and cool. Remove any fat that congeals on the top.

Season the beef with a little salt and pepper and sauté until the meat is no longer pink.

Combine the sauce and beef and simmer, covered, for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.

Fry three tortillas per person in a couple of inches of oil until they are slightly harder that the taco shells. As they are removed from the oil with tongs, dip each into the red chile pot until they are fully submerged. Remove, place on a plate and top with some cheese and onion.

Continue the process until the tortillas are stacked three high on each plate.

Ladle red chile, including a small amount of the meat, over the tortilla stack until it is puddled up as deep as it will stand around the base of the stack. Cover the enchilada lightly with grated cheese and place in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Heat Scale: Medium

Avocado Mousse

Avocado Mousse

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

This recipe from Chef V. Morin, who writes, “avocado is an awesome fruit. I like avocado for breakfast it is full of vitamin A. and it can be made into an incredible mousse as well, served with seared shrimp or scallops and your favorite chile. I like Chipotle. Check out one of my favorite recipes for Avocado Mousse. Enjoy !!!”

See more avocado recipes in the article Avocado Madness!

Ingredients

4 ripe Avocados halved, pitted and peeled

1 lime, juiced

½ cup sour cream

1/2 cup cream cheese

Salt to taste

1 whole chipotle chile

¼ lime, juiced

½ teaspoon salt

10 Seared Scallops or 10 Seared Shrimp (you could also grill them if you choose to)

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

To Make the Avocado Mousse:

Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop out the flesh into a blender or food processor. Puree the avocado with the lime juice and the chipotle and season with salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whip cream cheese and sour cream until soft. Fold avocado puree into whipped cream gently but thoroughly.

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth.

To Make the Scallops or Shrimp:

Sprinkle both sides of scallops or shrimp with salt.

Heat a nonstick pan over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. The oil needs to be very hot before you add the scallops or shrimp.

Place the scallops or shrimp flat-side down in the hot pan. Don’t overcrowd the pan, or you’ll lower the pan temperature, causing the scallops or shrimp to be steamed rather than seared. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden and caramelized. Make sure they are caramelized before turning. Turn only once. Do not overcook or they will be rubbery.

Making it look as beautiful as it tastes…..

Spoon the avocado purée into cocktail glasses. I like to use Martini glasses.

Place one skewered scallop across the rim of each cocktail glass or butterfly one shrimp and stand on the top of the actual mousse (it should look like a scorpion tail) for each cocktail glass and serve. Chill the mousse in the glasses until you are ready to serve.

Heat Scale: Mild/medium