Mint Rampage

[liuzhou]

It took me a long to time to find mint here in China, but when I did I stuck a sprig in a pot and it has gone rampant. It makes the proverbial rabbits look like pandas in their reproduction endeavour.

So, I have far too much mint which will die, but don't want to waste it.

I've used it in salads, with potatoes, in a vaguely Moroccan lamb, mint and chickpea (garbanzo bean) stew, mixed it with couscous etc.

I'm looking for new suggestions, if anyone is so kind to share.

P.S. I've used in mint teas and, of course, with gin and tonic, but I really am after the edible rather than the bibatory.

[Shelby]

I am not a huge mint fan, but I've had it in a fruit salsa that was delicious.  Something similar to this only mine used peaches.

[Shelby]

Ooops sorry!  I thought my link was in the "this".

 

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Apricot-Salsa-with-Mint

[Smithy]

I've made a mint 'sauce' of pulverized mint, garlic, oil, a little salt, maybe some parsley...along the lines of chermoula.  It goes very well with lamb, and might do well with other savory meats.  If that sounds interesting to you I'll scrounge around and find the proportions.

[Franci]

Do you care for mind cordial or mint rosolio?

 I think I tried the mind chutney from A. Nguyen book one time I had a good amount of mint.

Edited August 21, 2014 by Franci (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

In Tender Nigel Slater has a baby beet and lamb dish I have made that calls for a couple handfuls of chopped mint.

[Darienne]

I know that you mentioned salads...but for me Tabbouleh is ALL about mint...tons of mint.  

[Paul Bacino]

Do you care for mind cordial or mint rosolio?

 I think I tried the mind chutney from A. Nguyen book one time I had a good amount of mint.

 

Whoa--  I have had a few but never that one..  interesting

[FauxPas]

I haven't tried it, but I like the sound of this Mint, Basil & Pistachio Mascarpone Pesto. 

[Anna N]

Dry some for using in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines.

[GlorifiedRice]

Mint cannot be killed...I got rid of the garden the original owners of my house planted 10 yrs ago and the mint still returns.

However someone killed the nettles

[liuzhou]

Mint cannot be killed

 

No, but it dies back in winter then re-emerges in spring.

[Mjx]

Larb. Great quick meal, and it's terrific with a lot of mint.

[GlorifiedRice]

No, but it dies back in winter then re-emerges in spring.

 

Exactly, it cannot be killed. That and those 'wild' strawberries and raspberries. Cant kill em.

[liuzhou]

Exactly, it cannot be killed. That and those 'wild' strawberries and raspberries. Cant kill em.

 

Er, what I wanted to know was how to use it. 

I am well aware of the life cycle, thank you.

Edited August 22, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[GlorifiedRice]

Er, what I wanted to know was how to use it. 

I am well aware of the life cycle, thank you.

 

Im sorry, I took your original post to mean that you were afraid that it would die before you got to try it in everything

[liuzhou]

Came across this in today's newspaper (first recipe). It's going on my list. Have to do some shopping and make the stem ginger syrup myself, first.

[janeer]

I love real peppermint. I use it for a real tabbouleh, but also like this old-fashioned mint jelly (gelatin), which makes a refreshing salad or very pretty and tasty garnish for meat dishes. 

[liuzhou]

And right on time, comes this.

[MelissaH]

I'm tremendously enjoying this thread. I grew up in a mint-free house, right down to the toothpaste, because my mom feels about mint the way I feel about bananas. I still don't do spearmint well, largely because everything my orthodontist used was spearmint-flavored, but I've come to like peppermint. Our neighbor has a large mint patch, and we have free rein to gather and use as much of it as we want (hey, it's MINT, so it'll come back!) and it's fun for me to see all the ways people use mint.

[Smithy]

And right on time, comes this.

Thanks for that link, liuzhou; there are some great ideas there. I have some good, fresh green beans that need to be eaten in the next day or two, and that salad with green beans and mint looks just the ticket.

[Smithy]

Dinner report: inspired by liuzhou's link to the green bean salad with mint, I went off on a tangent.

The sauce:

~2 cups each of Moroccan mint, Italian parsley and lovage leaves

5 or 6 garlic cloves

~ 2 -3 Tbsp olive oil

~ 2 Tbsp each champagne vinegar and red wine vinegar

The liquids are very approximate: enough to balance each other and allow a food processor to chop and blend the dry ingredients into a coarse mixture.

This sauce was served on the side so we could test it with both dinner features:

(a) green beans and yellow summer squash browned in butter, steamed in a splash of wine and chicken broth until crisp/tender, then finished with cherry tomatoes. (There's the green bean and mint connection. :-D) and

(b) leftover leg of lamb, gently rewarmed and served with its juice.

To cover my bets I'd also made a simpler oil-and-garlic sauce in case the mint was overpowering; it wasn't. The mint added a gentle piquance; the lovage added an interesting bite; the sauce as a whole enhanced both the beans and the meat; when those ran out we mopped up the remaining sauce with bread. I realize this isn't a mint dish per se, but it used a fair amount with delightful results. I'll be doing it again.

[liuzhou]

Came across this in today's newspaper (first recipe). It's going on my list. Have to do some shopping and make the stem ginger syrup myself, first.

 

I finally got round to making this. I only made one change to the recipe. I used hot chillies rather than mild, I like a bit if heat. Will definitely make it again.

 

[FauxPas]

Still hot there? Maybe some Fresh Mint Ice Cream? From BBC Good Food, with some suggestions if you don't have an ice cream maker:

 

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2252644/fresh-mint-and-choc-chip-ice-cream

[liuzhou]

Still hot there? Maybe some Fresh Mint Ice Cream? From BBC Good Food, with some suggestions if you don't have an ice cream maker:

 

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2252644/fresh-mint-and-choc-chip-ice-cream

 

34ºC/93ºF. But anyway, I can eat ice cream in all temperatures. I've eaten it in Moscow at -18ºC/-0.4ºF.

 

The recipe sounds great. I can't get vanilla easily, but can manage the rest.

 

Thank you.