What's for Dinner Tonight? Stuffed Mangoes looking like a work of art!

Way back when, I was the type of kid who would not eat anything that did not look pleasing to the eye. So, to my mom, presentation was everything in order to have her picky child attain good nutrition. The way she made stuffed mangoes was like Michelangelo creating the David - but of a slightly lesser omnipotence. My children do not appreciate their Grandmother's work of art in the kitchen as much as I, but in any event, I made them take a second (or two) to admire the construction of their deliciously filled, bulbous entr?e before "digging in". As a side note: I refer to this dish as stuffed mangoes, they are probably more properly known as stuffed bell peppers, but in honor my family tradition, I will continue to refer to this dish as stuffed mangoes.

Let's get back to the ingredients and preparation of this art. At the grocery store, my mother would select mangoes that are shiny and robust in color that are also firm and heavy in proportion. No wrinkles or bruises. She also took in consideration the size of the pepper to the diner, so when I was little I had a cute child's sized stuffed mango. At home, she cooked rice in a stock pot, browned ground beef (fat deleted as much as possible) with diced onions and chili powder to taste in my skillet and added a dash of salt. While those fixings were steeping, Mom used her paring knife and cut off the top of the mangoes or the "pepper pan"; remove the insides; put the washed mangoes in a casserole dish filled with about 1/3 cup of water; then she'd cover up casserole dish and let the mangoes steam for about 3 minutes. Going back to the ground beef, she mixes the rice in its skillet. The ground beef-rice mixture is then spooned into the warm mangoes with just a little overflowing the neck of the fruit. She adds a dollop of ketchup on the top and puts the delectably filled capsicums into the preheated 300 degree oven. After 20 minutes, a mango is put in the center of its own individual plate with more of the ground beef-rice mixture surrounding it. The baked ketchup on top of the mixture (while some part of its sweetness seeped through the rice) looks like a swirled cap or stem that has been re-attached to the mango. So now you see a shiny, rich green, yellow or red apple-like edible bowl with coppery brown ground beef and rice spewing out, like confetti, topped with a dollop of red sauce as its cap. The steam strings and curls toward my nose and the aroma is nothing but mouthwatering. Simply: A work of art.

So, a great meal was had by all. No left-overs again. Therefore that leaves me wondering, what will be for dinner tonight, tomorrow?

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