Mango, Spinach and Buckwheat Salad - by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Ingredients

50g raisins
Apple juice
2 large, ripe mangoes
Juice of 1–2 limes
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
Pinch of ground allspice (optional)
50g baby leaf spinach sea salt and black pepper

To Finish:

50g whole toasted buckwheat ‘groats' (kasha)
Coriander leaves

Method

If you have time, put the raisins into a small bowl and add enough apple juice to cover them. Leave for a few hours, or overnight, to plump up.

To prepare the mangoes, first slice off the two plump sections of flesh either side of the stone (i.e. the ‘cheeks’). Hold one ‘cheek’ skin side down and use a small, sharp knife to make three equally spaced long cuts in the flesh, as far as, but not all the way through, the skin. Now work the tip of the knife all around the edge of the cheek, between the skin and flesh. (You should find this releases the two outermost slices.) Push the mango skin inside out, as it were, which will make the central two slices stand proud, and slice them away from the skin. Cut these larger slices in half lengthways again. Repeat with the other mango cheeks, so you have a pile of long, slender mango slices. Set aside.

Now turn to the remaining mango flesh still attached to the stones. Use the small knife to cut the skin away from the flesh, then cut the flesh off the stone in chunks and slivers. Put these bits of mango flesh into a jug blender, or into a jug that’s big enough to take a stick blender.

To the mango in the blender/jug, add the juice of 1 lime, the chilli flakes, allspice if using, and some salt and pepper. Blitz to a smooth purée, adding some juice from the second lime if necessary to achieve a thick but pourable consistency. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary – bearing in mind this is the dressing for the salad and the mango’s fruity sweetness needs to be tempered by the lime juice, salt and chilli.

To assemble, spread the spinach leaves out on individual plates and arrange the slices of mango over the top. Drain the raisins (if soaked) and scatter over the salad, then trickle over the mango dressing. Finish with the toasted buckwheat and coriander.

Credits: River Cottage Much More Veg! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is published by Bloomsbury ($45.00).