"mango" news and stories

If there's one thing I would bet my last paycheck on as making an appearance at every Super Bowl party this weekend, it's chips and salsa. Not only is it possibly the easiest thing to "serve" because you only have to rip open a bag of tortilla chips and pop open a jar of salsa, but since the Super Bowl is being hosted in Arizona, lots of party themes will be "Southwest." It's just too easy to open a jar of salsa that you buy from the store, but the truth is, salsa is so easy to make at home. Here are eight recipes for different kinds of salsa (which literally translates to just "sauce") to go with your Super Bowl menu:

1. Salsa Verde - This salsa green from the little green tomatillos, which aren't just small, underripe tomatoes, though they are in the same family. This recipe for Tomatillo Salsa Verde is by Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes and is part of an entire meal of fish tacos.
2. Pico de Gallo - Pico de Gallo is a chunky "salsa" that has three basic diced ingredients: diced tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno, plus chopped cilantro. If you happen to be a fan of that baastion of Southwest cuisine, Applebee's, CDKitchen has the restaurant's recipe.
3. Farm Stand Salsa - Speaking of Applebee's, Tyler Florence (who is Applebees' spokemodel chef) has a recipe for a farm stand salsa that includes fresh vegetables fresh from the farm.
4. Cowboy Caviar - It looks like caviar, but it's really a spicy salsa made with beans. Over on AllRecipes.com, this recipe got over 1000 5-star reviews!
   
5. Roasted Tomato Salsa - eHow explains step-by-step how to make a basic Roasted Tomato Salsa.
6. Avocado Salsa - An avocado salsa isn't the same thing as guacamole. Suite 101 has a recipe for a spicy, creamy avocado salsa.
   
7. Mango, Avocado, and Shrimp Salsa - This could be a ceviche, but technically, the shrimp is steamed in water before adding to the salsa (in ceviche, the raw fish are usually "cooked" with lime or other citrus juice).
   
8. Black Bean Salsa -The Hot Sauce Blog has a recipe for Black Bean Salsa, but we love what it comes with, too -- cheese stuffed poblano peppers!
   

Some of you may already know that I enjoy eating the occasional gloriously messy mango whilst perched over the sink. As you can see from the above pic, that's not the only way I like to savor this supremely refreshing tropical fruit.

Years ago a friend hipped me to the practice of sprinkling my mango with salt and hot sauce. His wife was from Guyana and she always had a bottle of homemade Scotch bonnet pepper sauce. Actually it wasn't so much a sauce as a fiery mix of chopped bright orange and yellow peppers floating in vinegar. This wasn't the first time I encountered this combination though. Back in my college days me and some friends used to have contests to see who could eat the most Patak's mango pickle. Straight out of the jar, mind you, with little more accompaniment than pappadam.

Something about this shot struck a deep Pavlovian chord within me. It could be that it's so humid in New York City these days that the very idea of indulging in a citrusy, summery mangolicious dessert is positively refreshing. Or it could be that mangoes are just downright sexy. Most likely it's a combination of all these things.

Either way Nook & Pantry's Mango Lime Curd Tart is a decidedly more elegant way to eat mangoes than my usual method, which involves standing over the sink and slurping. Plus, this tart adds the bracing flavor of lime curd. It's enough to make me want to take up baking. If you feel the same way, click here for the recipe.

[via Tastespotting]

I didn't realize until a few years ago that in most other parts of the US, Cinco de Mayo isn't as huge a deal as it is here in LA. For some reason, I just assumed that everyone around the country used the "holiday" as an excuse to eat chips and salsa, drink margaritas, and shoot tequila to messy excess. Well, given that we also had the The Fight, and Derby Day yesterday, it's no surprise that I sort of "missed" my own Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Still, that doesn't mean that the gorgeous mango, lime, and margarita glass that have been sitting on my countertop should go to waste. Since Cinco de Mayo has already past, let's just call today Cinco de Mango, and enjoy the Mango Salsa from the National Mango Board, which LAist Lindsay William-Ross has already made and photograhed. The recipe for the salsa is after the jump, and for more mango recipes, check out www.mangoinfo.org.

Ladies and gentlemen and Slashfood readers of all ages, put on your thinking caps and direct your attention to the photo at right. It's time to play name that utensil.

I'll give everyone a head start, by stating the obvious. As you can see the image of the utensil in question is clearly an antique. What, you say that's not enough of a clue upon which to hang a guess! Fair enough: it's a fork.

Still not enough to go on? This particular mutation of the fork is designed to aid the consumption of a rather messy food of which there are purported to be more than 500 varieties. Check the jump for the answer.