Mango and Macadamia Salad with a Creamy Dressing

Now for a fun post ...
While it is still summer and the mangoes are large, juicy and sweet while the macadamias can still be freshly sourced, is the time for salad enjoyment.  This salad is served on our table weekly over summer.

Hubby was a bit annoyed the other night as he retrieved the gas cannister from where it was hooked up to my backyard smoker for his barbecue and said "It feels a little light, how long were you smoking your chipotles for?  You must have had it on for hours!"    Followed by "I can probably only cook the lamb (butterflied and marinated) for 5 minutes then you will have to take over."   Accompanied by a disbelieving shake of his head.

So unfortunately he couldn't even warm up the barbecue before the gas in the bottle expired.

Ergo I turned on the teppan to warm up and had the lamb on the table, resting, in under 20 minutes.  I also made this super quick salad.  A lovely light fresh burst of flavours that balance the richness of the almost-barbecued lamb perfectly well.

Suffice to say it was a delightful evening dinner.

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Mango and Macadamia Salad with a Creamy Dressing

1/2 cup macadamia halves

1 mango, chopped into approx 2cm cubes

1 tomato, cut into 8 slices

1/2 large cucumber, cut into slices, peeling is optional

1/4 red onion finely diced

2 handfuls of lettuce leaves, washed and torn into chunks

Dressing:

1/3 cup thickened cream

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice (I sometimes use half lemon juice/half champagne vinegar)

salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Warm up a small frying pan and over low heat lightly roast the macadamia halves.  Set aside to cool.

On top of a large platter, scatter the torn lettuce leaves.

Top with cucumber, tomato and onion.

Add the mango on top then pour over the dressing with long movements.

Grind some extra freshly cracked black pepper over top.

Sprinkle with macadamia nuts and serve immediately.

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If you use mangoes in savoury dishes, kindly tell me how you would serve them?
Thus, an idea shared is enjoyable for all.

Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn xx

February Garden Share Collective

This month has been a very fruitful time indeed.

Grapes, figs, peaches, nectarines, blackberries, strawberries, dragon fruit, papaya, watermelon, rock melon, persimmon, pomegranate,bananas and pears.  

On the vegetable side there are tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, eggplant x varieties, chillies, jalapenos, shallots, corn, broccoli, beans, snake beans, capsicum, lemons, limes, kale and beetroot.

There has been an abundance of elderflowers.  

The papaya finally produced red fruit.

The chipotle bushes have produced hundreds of welcome chipotles.

I have dried, smoked, pickled and frozen them for future use.

Delicious black grapes bursting with flavour.

Thompson Seedless and Pink Iona grapes both do well in our sub tropical climate.

These are Black Genoa Figs and we have picked a few Brown Turkey figs as well.

Hubby found a hole in the back of the net where the birds where feasting so hopefully we will get most of them now.

Our dragon fruit thrives on neglect.  It is so easy to grow from cuttings and never needs watering.

These are the highlights of my February garden, I have focused on the fruit because we have had an abundance of summer fruit, perfectly ripened and bursting with flavour.

This Garden Share Collective is hosted by Liz and you can see all of the other garden share collective gardens to see the variety which can be grown during February.

Boun appetito, enjoy, Merryn xx