A Cook's California

Warm Mango Green Bean Salad

In the Hawaiian Islands you are never far from a perfectly ripe mango.  Not so here on the mainland.  Choose a mango with skin more yellow and red than green. When ripe the flesh gives a little with a slight squeeze. If you are not sure if it is ripe enough, place it in a brown paper bag in a sunny spot for a day.

Yields four small salads

1 lb. trimmed green beans

1 ripe large mango

1 medium red onion sliced into thin half moons

3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed slightly

¼  cup light olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

4 small handfuls baby spinach or other young greens

ground pepper to taste

Poach the green beans until just tender and chill completely in ice-water. Drain and dry. Peel and seed the mango, cut into chunks.

Place the olive oil and garlic cloves in a nonstick pan and heat over medium. When

the garlic is golden brown remove and discard it. Add the onion to the pan and sprinkle with the salt and sugar. Cook until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the vinegar and gently stir in the mango (if your mango is not quite ripe, allow to cook several minutes to soften and the flavors to blend). Add the green beans and toss to coat. Divide the spinach between 4 plates and spoon over the warm mango and beans. Serve at once with ground pepper to taste.

Cook’s note:  A slice or two of prosciutto alongside makes this an elegant first course with plenty of sweet/salty contrast.