Grilled Mango with Balsamic Vinegar

Grilled mango with balsamic drizzle. Photo: Jennifer Iserloh

If you've ever tasted real aged balsamic vinegar, you know that nothing compares with its aroma, texture and dark, deep flavor.

The real McCoy is from Modena, Italy, made from the white Trebbiano grape and aged for 12 to 25 years. A 4-ounce bottle of the good stuff (that's just 1/2 cup) can range from $100 to $150!

Sadly, my budget doesn't keep me from craving foods, so I've reduced some inexpensive balsamic vinegar to get a rich-tasting drizzle that I can use on my grilling favorites.

Balsamic is great with so many things, and it's incredible on tender bites of chicken mixed with fresh mozzarella. I love it with grilled mango, but you can also use it to mix with strawberries to top panna cotta, frozen vanilla yogurt or fill crêpes with a little sweetened low-fat ricotta cheese.

Adding vinegar to your dishes can be healthy, because you are working with a fat-free food that has sharp flavor, hardly any calories and can be added to many dishes. Health experts even say that eating vinegar with your meals can help you to feel full longer.

Grilled Mango with Balsamic Syrup

Serves 4-6

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 ripe mangos, peeled, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan over high heat, boil the balsamic vinegar for 5 minutes to reduce by half. Cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat a grill over medium-high heat. Coat the mango slices with a thin layer of the cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.

Grill the mango in batches on a lightly oiled grill rack, turning once, until browned and slightly softened (about 5 minutes total). Drizzle with balsamic syrup and serve with grilled fish, meats or chicken, or with a dollop of sweetened sour cream.

Learn more about Jennifer at skinnychef.com, and read her exclusive Slashfood blogs every Monday and Friday.