On My Plate (OMP) is a series in which I share with you what I’m eating. I like simple everyday food. OMP features things put together because I need to clean out the fridge or pantry; things made in a hurry; making do with what is there; and things I have seen, heard, or read about and decided to give a try (that are not complicated). It is also about what I am having when I don’t feel like cooking.
Yep, it is that time of the year when towering trees are laden, branches heavy, bowing, offering us their bounty of beautiful mangoes of all shapes, sizes, and varieties. It is one of my favourite times of the year. Whether walking, riding, or driving, you pass a mango tree full of fruit and you cannot help but smile with joy and the carefree happiness of a child, because you are at once looking forward to eating your fill of the fruit and being flooded with childhood memories of eating mangoes. It happens to me all the time.
Apart from sitting down with a few mangoes at a time, to eat at leisure, throughout the season, I am always finding ways to incorporate them into my meals and various dishes. One of the easiest and tastiest ways to do that is in a salad. Depending on the combination of the salad and the flavour and texture you are after, you can choose mangoes in any stage to add to a salad – green (unripened), turning, or fully ripe.
For this salad, which was something simply thrown together with what was in the house, I opted for ripe mangoes. I wanted the salad to be fruity with bites of sweetness, briny, pickle-like notes which I got from the cucumbers, onions and olives when tossed with the dressing; the tomatoes brought meatiness to the salad. I ate this salad as is and then the following day, I made the salad again and had it with roast pork and sauteed cabbage. So, if you’re looking for a salad to eat on its own or with some crisp chopped lettuce on the side, as a meal, or as part of your Sunday lunch spread, then give this a try.
For the dressing, use your preferred vinaigrette. I made a pickling dressing rather than a vinaigrette. I mixed together some apple cider vinegar, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. If I did not have apple cider vinegar, I would have used some fresh-squeezed lime or lemon juice, therefore, use whatever you have available (this is the point of the On My Plate series).
· There are no specific amounts for this salad, use quantities based on what you have available; make additions that you prefer and eliminate what you do not like.
· When it comes to cutting up the ingredients, do what suits you, just keep in mind you want them to be similar in size and shape. So dice if you want or cut lengthways.
The title of the salad essentially lists the main ingredients:
· Ripe Mangoes
· Cucumbers
· Tomatoes
· Olives
· Red onions
Here’s what to do:
1. Peel where necessary, then cut all the ingredients and assemble them in a serving dish.
2. Drizzle vinaigrette around the sides of the dish instead of over the ingredients and gently toss to mix and dress the salad. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Cynthia
