Mango Season!

As I was writing things up for this week, I realized that I've got a whole lot of stuff coming up to do with mangoes.  It's mango season!

It's easy to find beautiful mangoes at your local store these days and there are loads of things to do with them.   Check out yesterday's post for an easy way to cut a mango up into small pieces without shooting it across the room like a bar of wet soap. 


Today I've got a recipe for a Mango Sauce that is so good, it makes a terrific summer soup.

The family did not share my soup enthusiasm.  They liked it as a cool sauce over squash fritters.

I liked it in a bowl with a spoon.  

You can eat it however you want.

Mango Curry Sauce [Soup]

• 1 large mango cut up
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon red curry paste
• a handful of fresh cilantro chopped finely

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor.   Serve at room temperature.  Refrigerate leftovers.   [Not that there will be any.]

Curry Pickles - New and improved

Curry pickles with curry paste

Remember when we made that first batch of curry pickles?

I tried it again with curry paste instead of powder.   I'm so glad I did.   These were really, really good!  So much better than the first batch.

I made a jar with red long beans and red curry paste. 

And I made a jar with green beans and cukes and green curry paste.

The curry paste was a much improved curry flavor, but they were both medium heat and really kicked the heat up a notch.   Since I've got a low heat eater, next time I'll leave the extra chili pepper out of the jar or use mild heat curry.  

With all the different types of curry out there - Indian, Thai, etc. - and all the heat levels, these pickles are really versatile.   I'm excited to try this with different curries next year. 

I really like this recipe because you don't have to make much.  It's easy to cut in half if you want just one jar.  And if you want to try two different things, it's easy to do a different thing in each jar.   Plus, if you don't like them much, then you can always take the other jar to a potluck.  Someone will definitely like them. 

Here's the revised recipe for you.    Enjoy!

Curry Pickles - New and improved version!

• Green or red beans - enough to pack 2 pint jars
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1 T canning salt
• 1 rounded tsp of curry paste in each jar.
• 1 dried chili pepper in each jar.
• 1 garlic clove in each jar.

Wash and trim the beans and pack them into the jars. Put a chili [if you want the extra heat] and a garlic clove in each jar.   Boil the water, vinegar, and salt.   Pour over beans until they're covered 1/2 inch with liquid.  Process 10 minutes for canning.  Makes 2 pints.

Wait two weeks before opening.  

Thai Venison

I am secretly afraid of the slow cooker.    I love the idea of it - all that cooking happening and I don't even have to be in the kitchen.  Who wouldn't love that?   But deep in my heart of hearts, I fear the commitment required to have a successful relationship with the slow cooker.   For some reason it is impossible for me to plan ahead when it comes to meals.   [Those of you who know me well, know the extent of the terrible irony of this facet of my personality.]

In order for the slow cooker to do its thing, you have to decide way ahead of time what you want cooked.  Then you have to get it all together.   Then you have to put it in the cooker.   Then you have to remember to turn on the stupid thing.  Then you can relax and feel really smug until it's time to do the dishes.

Mostly, my husband does the slow cooker thing.   OK, the truth is that if anyone uses it at all, it's he.    He totally gets the planning ahead about meals thing. [Also a terrible irony, but I probably shouldn't go there.]   In addition, we have a freezer full of venison harvested by some excellent friends right off our property.   Venison that has spent the summer feeding on our grass and hostas tastes great!   My husband loves finding new ways of cooking it.

Thai red curry makes life worth living in the winter here.   I love it.  I also love coconut milk.   Lo and behold we discovered that you can throw a can of coconut milk, 1 T of red curry paste and a package of venison out of the freezer into the slow cooker and 7 hours later, you're in gastronomical paradise. 

Here's a photo of Thai red curry from importfood.com with directions on how to make your own.   This is not something we've tried yet.   We just go to Sahara Mart and buy it in a package.


Thai Venison in the slow cooker

1 can coconut milk
1-2 Tablespoons of red curry paste
venison [Some.  Use your imagination.]
cilantro - chopped fresh if you have it.   Optional.  Throw it in before you serve it all.

Cook it all day.  After a few hours, shred the meat so it soaks up the Thai red curry goodness.  Serve over rice.   Great with steamed broccoli and pineapple.   We like the pineapple cool so there's a contrast in temperatures as well as flavors.   This means that you can put the can of pineapple chunks on the table with the can opener as you're sitting down to dinner.    That's pretty much all the planning ahead I can do.