Mango Sauce

This Mango Sauce is an example of a kitchen experiment that makes me sit up and say yes, yes, yes! Yes it is delicious right off the spoon. Yes, it has a great complex flavor that is not too sweet, with a hint of spice and yes, I can use this for something other than what I had been imagining. Um, yeah, whoops.

Have you ever tinkered in the kitchen? Have you ever just thrown ingredients into a pot to try to create this something you have in your head? And how did that turn out for you? This Mango Sauce is not what I had intended it to be. I was going for a tomato free barbecue sauce for pork. You know, ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, something like that. What I ended up with was not the sauce I was imagining. This really is more of a 'jelly' than sauce. Still, someone at some point decided mint jelly went with lamb. Maybe it will be okay? Well, I don't do lamb, and I find it hard to believe everyone really likes that mint jelly on their meat. How many people are eating it just because someone told them those went together? Anyway, back to my Mango Sauce, with the pork, let's just say it wasn't quite hitting the mark. 

So, it didn't shine and it's not all that. It is in this moment that we are faced with a choice. Should I save it or is it a hopeless wreck. Tossing these 'science experiments' (as my husband calls them) seems to always be the hard choice for me. The lost time, the expense of the ingredients, the admission of failure.... It is discouraging and a reason many people give me for not even trying to cook around allergies and sensitivities. And the easy choice isn't always that great either. Put it in a container, toss it in the fridge, and forget about it...until it comes time to clean out the fridge and all you have gained is an aged and yucky 'science experiment' that needs to be thrown out. 

These are the days you need to dig deep. So, as I clean up my kitchen and put everything away for the night I need to make a decision about this little jar of 'sauce'. It's time to forget about what I was trying to make. Let's analyze it and see what I did make. Is it any good by itself? Does it have good flavor? Can I use it in a different way? How? Well, today was a good day. Yes, it is very good by itself. Yes, I love the flavor of it, a bit sweet and tangy with a hint of spice. Yes, I think the freshness of it goes better with leafy greens and cucumber. And maybe feta, definitely goat cheese. And it is thick enough to spread on a cracker. Or in a pita fresh wrap. And thinned out with some olive oil and a touch more vinegar it would make a great Mango Vinaigrette!

So, how could I use it with leafy greens and cucumber with a fresh wrap? Maybe shredded chicken. But! What about with falafel! Now we are onto something! Well, it turns out we were onto something great! I love the complexity of the mango sauce paired with the falafel and rolling it up with the fresh veggies in the gluten free egg free wrap made a fresh and satisfying meal that had me embracing ideas of spring and planting my garden with cucumbers and lettuce. I really think it will make you sigh too, with yes, yes, yes.