Calamintha nepeta/mentuccia romana

[trillium]

So my roman mint has given me a much bigger harvest then my roman artichokes. I'm wondering what are other suggested pairings are out there for nepitella? Tripe? Any tripe recipes?

thanks,

trillium

[Kevin72]

Pino Luongo says that wild mushroom, chilies, and nepitella/mentuccia are a common prep in Tuscany.

[divina]

Always with porcini, but great with any sauteed roasted veggie.

I would dry it and save it!

use instead of oregano in any recipe.

[fortedei]

Always with porcini, but great with any sauteed roasted veggie.

I would dry it and save it!

use instead of oregano in any recipe.

←

Mentuccia instead of origano? Boy, we must be from very different parts of Toscana, if you believe you can substitute mentuccia for origano in any recipe.

[trillium]

fortedei, what do you use nepitella for? Given the Calabrian side of my family, I use dried origano all the time, but the nepitella is new to me. Now I'm kicking myself for throwing out the trimmings with the blossoms when I could have dried them!

regards,

trillium

[fortedei]

fortedei, what do you use nepitella for?  Given the Calabrian side of my family, I use dried origano all the time, but the nepitella is new to me.  Now I'm kicking myself for throwing out the trimmings with the blossoms when I could have dried them!

regards,

trillium

←

we use it with grilled porcini; in a frittata; with peas; in a salad of peppers, capers and tomatoes

[trillium]

we use it with grilled porcini; in a frittata; with peas; in a salad of peppers, capers and tomatoes

←

For the salad of peppers, capers and tomatoes, are the peppers grilled first, or just raw? That sounds really good right now, because peppers and tomatoes are in season (but not porcini or peas).

thanks,

trillium

Edited August 8, 2006 by trillium (log)

[divina]

When I don't have nepitella in the states when I travel and cook, I substitute origano and mint...

fortdei....I don't mean it is a substitute, but a fun twist!

I often do grilled veggies and like Zucchini with mint..

I would use nepitella as well..

Eggplant and origano.. why not nepitella?

I am always traditional when I teach, but do love to break away from tradition and twist it when I cook for myself.

[peteswanson]

Nepitella is a hard herb to find here...there are only a few places which grow it, and from what I heard from the herb farmers in NY, no one had seeds for it this past year....

I agree with everyone, that it is wonderful with sauteed cepes....

[peteswanson]

Nepitella is a hard herb to find here...there are only a few places which grow it, and from what I heard from the herb farmers in NY, no one had seeds for it this past year....

I agree with everyone, that it is wonderful with sauteed cepes....

[peteswanson]

Nepitella is a hard herb to find here...there are only a few places which grow it, and from what I heard from the herb farmers in NY, no one had seeds for it this past year....

I agree with everyone, that it is wonderful with sauteed cepes....

[peteswanson]

When I don't have nepitella in the states when I travel and cook, I substitute origano and mint...

fortdei....I don't mean it is a substitute, but a fun twist!

I often do grilled veggies and like Zucchini with mint..

I would use nepitella as well..

Eggplant and origano.. why not nepitella?

I am always traditional when I teach, but do love to break away from tradition and twist it when I cook for myself.

←

[trillium]

I've stuck a few prunings in the ground and have starts if anyone is interested.

regards,

trillium

[fortedei]

we use it with grilled porcini; in a frittata; with peas; in a salad of peppers, capers and tomatoes

←

For the salad of peppers, capers and tomatoes, are the peppers grilled first, or just raw? That sounds really good right now, because peppers and tomatoes are in season (but not porcini or peas).

thanks,

trillium

←

the peppers are grilled first

[StevenC]

Mentuccia is good with snails, as in the traditional Roman dish lumache di San Giovanni.

I find it also works nicely with sauteed baby octopus and squid. Really, the possibilities are endless.

In his article "Fries", reprinted in The Man Who Ate Everything, Jeffrey Steingarten describes potatoes deep-fried with garlic and fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and nepitella, a dish he ate near Lucca. He leaves out the nepitella when giving the recipe, a concession to the fact that it's almost impossible to find the herb in the United States. (I love his remark about nepitella--"an herb indispensible in Tuscany, where it grows like a weed, but virtually unknown in this country, despite the plague of eating places calling themselves Tuscan.")