Food Friday Mango Chutney a la Francesca

Sure it is great when you have a recipe, a shopping list and a plan. But what about those days when the challenge of getting from one end of the day to the other did not include that level of organization? That is when creativity becomes an important cooking skill. Making something appetizing from what’s in the fridge can really save your tastebuds and your wallet.

It is helpful to keep a good supply of the basics on hand, and our weekly CSA basket is a great asset in that regard. Smoothies, stir fries, pastas, and omelettes can be made in endless varieties. It is all about indulging your food imagination and creating what you crave.

After years of being intimidated by their food domineering mother in the kitchen my children have caught the cooking bug and I have been loving playing sous chef when they take charge! This is how it went last night with my daughter who will have a kitchen in her on campus apartment next year and who is showing awesome creative cooking talents:I decided it was time for fish – my go-to choice for a light meal on a hot day. The store had a great special on wild caught salmon: perfect! I asked my daughter how she wanted me to make it and that got her going: “mmmmm, with a brown sugar glaze? Hmmm, how about a sauce?  Ooh. Something fruity, like mango chutney – not the kind in a jar… We can make it!”  And we riffled through the fridge and brainstormed: we had frozen mango in the freezer  and peaches and onions from the CSA. She looked up some recipes and decided it would need rice vinegar, and then we picked mint from our neighbor’s garden. While I sprinkled the salmon with salt, pepper and a few spoonfuls of turbinado sugar to be broiled for about 6 minutes and sautéed some spinach and bok choy, my daughter chopped and mixed and tasted until the mixture in the bowl matched the taste in her imagination. Mmmm-mmm. A delicious hour together and a delicious dinner too.

Here is her recipe – worth buying the ingredients for if they are not in your fridge:

MANGO CHUTNEY A LA FRANCESCA

1 peach, cubed

1-2 cups cubed mango chunks, fresh or frozen

1/3 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large handful of fresh mint, finely chopped

1 TBSP rice wine vinegar

2 shakes tabasco

a pinch of coarse salt

Mix and let stand for flavors to meld. Serve on broiled salmon with a salt, pepper and brown sugar glaze.