Country-Style Pork Ribs Braised with Mango, Lime, & Coconut

This bright dish would be perfect for a winter day when you need a reminder that somewhere it's still summer. The original calls for an oven-braise, but let's be honest, ribs in the slow cooker are so much easier and usually ridiculously more tender.

The sauce on this is outstanding, but chopping the mango is a bit of work. I'm tempted to suggest that an easier alternative would be using canned mango puree. It would also have the benefit of thickening the sauce nicely, providing flavor, but not giving you odd mango chunks. I haven't tried it yet, but it might be worth a gamble.

One year ago: Potato Mix with Cracked Peppercorn Sauce
Two years ago: Peking Pork with Scotch and Scallions
Three years ago: Cranberry Vanilla Coffeecake
Four years ago: Stuffed Zucchini

Country-Style Pork Ribs Braised with Mango, Lime, & Coconut (adapted from All About Braising)

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs country-style pork ribs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil
2 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground to powder
1 ripe mango (about 1lb; see header notes), chopped into 1/2" dice
1 medium yellow onion (6 ounces), thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 serrano chile, minced
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp grated lime zest
2 tbsp golden or amber rum
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup lime juice

1. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add pork ribs in batches and cook, turning with tongs, until lightly browned, 4 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to slow cooker.
2. Add onion to skillet and saute until soft, 4 minutes.
3. Add garlic, ginger, serrano, cardamom, cinnamon, and lime zest and saute until fragrant, 1 minute.
4. Add coconut milk, lime juice, and mango and stir.
5. Pour mixture over pork ribs. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Chickpea, Watercress, and Mango Salad with Lime-Curry Vinaigrette

This is a lovely, refreshing salad. It's hearty enough to serve as a meal on its own, but also works well as a refreshing side salad.

One year ago: Fettuccine with Figs, Rosemary, and Pancetta
Two years ago: Bagel, Egg, and Spinach Red Lentil Soup

Chickpea, Watercress, and Mango Salad with Lime-Curry Vinaigrette (from Raising the Salad Bar)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpease
1 roasted red bell pepper, diced (I used raw)
1 mango, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice
1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/2" dice
1 bunch watercress (2 cups), washed and dried, large stems removed, roughly chopped
Lime-Curry Vinaigrette
2 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp honey or brown sugar
4 tbsp canola oil (I used sunflower)
salt and pepper

1. In large bowl, combine chickpeas, red pepper, mango, and cucumber.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, curry powder, ginger, honey, oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Add watercress and dressing to chickpea mixture, toss to combine, and serve.

Flambéed Mangoes

I have a problem. I can't walk into the fruterie near my house without impulsively buying extra fruits and vegetables. This week's impulsive purchases were kiwis (12 for $2!) and mangoes (3 for 99 cents!). I really shouldn't be allowed to go to the store alone, but for some reason no one ever tries to stop me. I had thought the mango would make its way into a salad or maybe even a salsa, but as the weekend rolled around and still the mango remained, I decided it was time for a new plan. This recipe popped up as one of the first results on Eat Your Books ... and as luck would have it, I had all ingredients on hand. I showed it to the boy, not expecting him to be fully on board, because it did involve an open flame in the apartment, but of course I forgot, he LIKES playing with fire. The end result was a perfect end to a multicultural dinner. Tart and refreshing, be sure to pair it with some ice cream to offset the acidity of the orange. Next time, I might dial back on the orange just a little bit.

Flambéed Mangoes (from The Essential Cuisines of Mexico)

Ingredients
450g mangoes
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
zest of 1/2 orange
zest of 1/2 lime
1 ounce triple sec or cointreau
juice of 1/2 orange
juice of 1/2 lime
1 ounce white tequila

1. Peel mangoes, slice flesh off pits, and cut into thick strips.
2. Melt the butter in a chafing dish (or heavy skillet), stir in sugar and continue stirring until it has dissolved.
3. Add zests together with Triple Sec, heat mixture, and flame it.
4. When flames have died down, add juices and cook until reduced, about 2 minutes.
5. Add mango strips and heat until syrup begins to bubble.
6. Add tequila and heat through, flame again.
7. Serve immediately over ice cream.