Grilled Mango Salad with Aji Mirasol Bacon Dressing
Fresh ripe mangoes, avocados and an aji mirasol-infused balsamic bacon dressing over watercress and field greens..
Grilled Mango Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
Wash and dry field greens, watercress and fresh herbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Fry cubes of uncured, pastured bacon and chopped red onions until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.
Add white balsamic vinegar and 1 small aji mirasol pepper (mild chile and apricot-like flavor) and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Adjust sharpness with a spoonful of raw honey, but don’t make it particularly sweet. Add the bacon and onions and keep warm.
Split and score a ripe mango. Push up from the bottom so that the sections pull apart, dress with coconut oil (unctuous and high-heat stable) and season with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.
Grill the mango halves flesh side down until caramelized, about 5 minutes depending on heat source.
Arrange warm grilled mango over crisp greens. Dress with hot bacon dressing and garnish with avocado slices and quartered grape tomatoes.
Black Quinoa and Mango Pudding
“Quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wah’) is an ancient whole grain that has been cultivated in the Andes Mountains of South America for more than 5,000 years. Locally referred to as ‘chisaya mama’ or the ‘mother grain’, it kept the Incan armies strong and robust…”
Black Quinoa and Mango Pudding
1/2 cup black quinoa
6 oz fresh whole milk
2 oz fresh cream
2 pastured eggs
1/2 ripe mango, diced
1 modest pinch sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons non-refined sugar or raw honey
1 2-inch section vanilla bean, split and scraped
Rinse quinoa under filtered cold water to remove any debris.
Bring 6 oz fresh whole milk to a low boil.
Add vanilla bean and stir in quinoa and sugar, if using.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until almost all the milk has been absorbed, maybe 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk 2 eggs into 2 oz of cream, then slowly whisk the liquid into the quinoa.
Add the diced mango and return the quinoa to the burner over low heat and stir continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Quinoa pudding may be served warm or cold, as you prefer.
Thai Red Curry Cod with Mango Sticky Rice
Sauté Thai red curry paste (chilies, shallots, galangal, fish sauce, herbs and spices) in oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add coconut milk, fresh kaffir lime leaves, basil, scallions and red bell peppers and reduce to a simmer.
Add Alaskan cod filet and poach (turning once) until opaque, about 10-15 minutes depending on thickness.
Meanwhile, prepare jasmine rice with lemon grass and mango purée.
To serve, ladle curry onto plate or shallow bowl, add rice and place cod on top. Garnish with a dollop of coconut cream, lime leaves, basil and red pepper.
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