My freshman year of college I became dear friends with a girl, Leah, who loved mangoes. Well, she was rather obsessed. See, for her, eating a mango was much like a love affair. For Leah, there was a process to consuming a mango. It started by selecting the perfect fruit—not too hard but not too soft (just tender to the touch), the color slightly fading from green to a deep, golden orange then almost red. She would ever so artfully undressed the mango from its rubbery skin then with a precise calculation, score the flesh and delicately pop out each piece.

I shared my first mango experience with Leah in 2004 in St. Thomas while on Spring Break with a group of friends. All along the streets there were fruit vendors with best local produce. One morning on our way to the beach, we decided to stock up. The mangoes were the size of footballs! And that’s no exaggeration. When we got to the beach Leah had one more mango ritual to share with the rest of us. After eating a mango you must save the pit and offer it up to the “gods” and throw it into the ocean. I’m pretty sure she just made that up on the spot, but after we had all devoured our mangoes, we had yelled out some totally legit chants and threw our pits into Megan’s Bay. I’m pretty sure they washed back up shore about an hour later.

All this to say, I recently went a little mango crazy because they were 2 for $1 at the Sunflower Market and I got to do a lot of experimenting with cooking with mangoes. This dish is my new favorite. The coconut in the rice is the perfect backdrop for the saltiness of the pistachios and the almost creamy nature of a perfectly ripe mango. I have never done breaded pork chops before I made this, but it was super easy and will, for sure, be making more dinner appearances at my house! Enjoy!

Mango Rice

• 1 1/3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (14oz) can coconut milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups jasmine or basmati rice
• 1 cup diced mango (about 1 large mango)
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted, salted pistachios

Bring the first 3 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. If you notice the rice is still too sticky and full of liquid after 20 minutes, remove the lid and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes. When done, remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Toss gently with remaining ingredients. Makes about 6 cups.

If you have an extra helper, have them pound out the pork chops while you are preparing the rice. If you don’t have an extra hand pound the pork chops before you start the rice; set aside and resume when the rice is simmering.

Pork Chops

• 4 medium, boneless pork chops
• salt and pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 Tbs flour
• 1 egg
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs (plus more as needed)
• olive oil or butter for frying

Preheat a large skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil or butter over medium heat.

One at a time, place each pork chop on a large cutting board, put a layer of plastic wrap over it and pound out with a mallet to 1/2 to 1/4 inch thin. You can also use a rolling pin or the bottom of a small skillet. If you don’t have plastic wrap use a clean grocery bag. Peel and cut the garlic clove in half then rub both sides of each pork chop with the open part of the clove. season with salt and pepper.

In three separate shallow dishes place the flour, egg, and bread crumbs. First dip the pork chops in the flour, then coat with the egg, then dredge in bread crumbs pressing to help them stick. Place the pork chops in the skillet. Make sure it is not too hot or they will burn. You want to hear a low sizzle when the meat hits the pan; a loud sizzle means the heat is too high and the outside of the chops will burn before the inside is done cooking. Cook on each side until golden brown (about 3 minutes). If they are not browning after 4-5 minutes turn the heat up. When they are browned on both sides put on a plate and let rest for 3 minutes; serve with rice.

Thirsty? Patrick and I always love a good ol’ beer with our dinner. Try Flag Speciale (a Moroccan beer that I haven’t tried but here it is nice) or go for a Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling wine.