Alyssa is ecstatic that Lost is finally back on TV. In celebration of this wonderful show’s return, she basically forced Susan into cooking up some tropical-inspired deliciousness, modified from recipes found on tropicalfruitworld.com and cooks.com. While Kate, Jack and company might not have had access to many of the ingredients included in these recipes, we think that the islanders would have approved of them anyway, because they’re just so darn tasty. So whether you want to provide some food for your next Wednesday night Lost viewing party, or if you just want your taste buds to escape frigid Hamilton for a while, give these dishes a try.

Chicken Wings in Spicy Mango Butter

Ingredients:

1 dozen chicken wings (skin taken off)2 mangoes1/4 C. brown sugar2 tsp. honey1 tsp. ground coriander1 tsp. cumin1 tsp. turmeric1 tsp. ground ginger2 Tbsp. vegetable oil2 Tbsp. water

This recipe is a little work-intensive according to Alyssa, and incredibly work-intensive according to Susan, who slaved over the mangoes. However the end result is completely worth it! It starts easily enough: peel, slice and cut the mangoes into small chunks.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the mango chunks and simmer until they become tender (about 10-15 minutes).

After the mangoes have become properly tenderized (and you’ll know if they have in this next step), take them out of the water and put them into a wire sieve. This device is similar to a colander; however, it’s made of metal and the holes are smaller. Dump the water out of the saucepan and, holding the wire sieve full of squishy mango chunks above it, use a wooden spoon to push the mango down into the sieve, making a smooth mush come out of the bottom and go into the saucepan. This can take awhile and your arms might start to hurt. However, when you get down to the last few stubborn chunks that just refuse to be sieved, you can just dump them in with the mango purée in the saucepan.

Turn the stove to medium heat. Add the sugar, honey and water to the mango mix and stir thoroughly. Next, add all the spices and vegetable oil. Continue to heat for about ten minutes or until you have a fairly thick mixture that smells strongly of spices.

Turn the oven to broil. Put the chicken wings in a 9″ by 11″ glass baking dish and pour the mango butter over them, making sure to turn the wings so you coat all sides. Put the dish on the middle rack of the oven and broil until the wings are cooked all the way through. For us this took half an hour; however, oven temperatures vary, so you should check the progress of the wings periodically. No one likes pink chicken.

Curried Tropical Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

About 12 oz. of boneless, skinless chicken breast1 1/2 C. canned, crushed pineapple1/2 C. chopped celery1/2 C. sliced scallions40 red, seedless grapes3 oz. can of sliced water chestnuts1 C. plain yogurt3 Tbsp. mayonnaise1 Tbsp. soy sauce1 tsp. Dijon mustard1/2 tsp. curry powder1/2 tsp. salt1/2 tsp. all-herb seasoningDash of pepperTorn lettuce

Dice the chicken and cook it in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring often to avoid burning. After it has cooked all the way through, turn off the heat and transfer the chicken to a large mixing bowl.

Chop the celery and scallions. Cut the grapes into halves. Drain the water chestnuts and pineapple. Combine all of these ingredients in the bowl with the chicken, mixing well.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, soy sauce, mustard, curry powder, salt, all-herb seasoning and pepper. We used the amount of curry the recipe recommended and could only faintly taste it in the final product. If you like curry, you may want to add some more to this mixture to embolden the taste.

Pour this dressing over the chicken mixture in the large mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least half an hour. You can serve this on a bed of lettuce, on crackers or in a sandwich.