what to do with mint?

[RiJaAr]

i just bought a huge bunch of mint on impulse, and now i don't know what to do with it. Anyone got any onteresting recipes that are quick and easy?

[Louise]

Roasted beets. Mint goes with them really well, especially with some combination of orange segments, toasted walnuts, and pungent cheese such as blue, feta, or goat. Probably not all at the same time though.

[optimal forager]

Homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream. There's nothing like it.

[RiJaAr]

oooh, so many delicious ideas, i'm going to run out of mint!

[ali patts]

Second vote for mint tea, it's how the majority of my mint gets used. I also make tons of it then refridgerate for a refreshing cold drink.

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

I make hot mint tea with it. Steep it just like you would with tea leaves.

[rworange]

I did a similar thing ... buying a large bunch. If you put it in a glass jar and store that in the fridge, it will keep a few weeks. I bought mine at least 2 weeks ago and it is still looking fresh & perfect.

I agree with adding it to a salad. Also it goes well in a sandwich instead of lettuce. For some reason it sounded like a good idea to use mint instead of lettuce on a tuna salad and it was very good ... or you can add a mix of lettuce and mint.

I've also added some to coffee. So far I've just put a few leaves in a cup, bruised them and then poured hot coffee over letting steep a few minutes. Tommorrow I'm going to try puttin some leaves in the basket while brewing and see what happens.

If I was into smoothies or shakes, I'd throw some in a blender a vanilla smoothie or shake.

[MMRuth]

I like to make a salad with sliced oranges, cucumbers and radishes, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a lot of mint - comes from Marcella.

[schuylar]

Break the leaves off of the stems, combine with some red/green leaf lettuce, some bean sprout, meat of your choice and/or shrimp and wrap together in moistened Vietnamese rice paper - voila! You have homemade spring rolls.

[Louise]

Oh, man, I completely forgot that! It's really delicious.

[HillJ]

If you make mint pesto, swirl it into your fav plain cheesecake recipe and serve as a savory appy.

[Glencora]

Do be sure to keep it in a pot. I have more than I could ever use running wild in my backyard. Most of it ends up in the compost, however I like it in mango salsa with minced shallots, lime juice, fish sauce and a hot pepper. Nice with fish.

[RiJaAr]

wow all these sound really tasty. i googles mint recipes and mostly all i got was juleps and mint sauce...i will have to try all these

[p.j.]

RiJaAr, Use your purchased mint to start a plant of your own:
Trim the bottom 1" off a couple of sprigs, and place them in a glass of water. Also trim off any lower leaves that are in the water. If the water gets cloudy, wash the glass and put in fresh water.

Within a week or so, your sprigs should have some roots. Plant them in a flowerpot in a sunny window, and you will have mint all winter. Move them outside in the spring, but keep in a pot: they will take over your yard if let loose.
I did this last winter with some spearmint that was $3.00 a package, and haven't had to buy any since!. Mint is extremely vigorous! p.j.

[ginqueen]

does this method work with cilantro or parsley as well?

[Louise]

No, it does not root the same way.

[RiJaAr]

thanks, thats exactly what i'm going to do then. i've been planning on getting some herbs growing on my windowsill, but haven't got around to it yet. thanks for the tip.

[p.j.]

You are very welcome! Good luck!

[QueenB]

I have a recipe for orzo with mint and peas. There are few other ingredients (lemon zest, salt, pepper, shallot, butter). It's very easy and very tasty as a side dish.

[Louise]

Pea soup benefits amazingly from some mint thrown in. Not a lot, but stir in some shredded when it's close to done. Note, this is fresh pea soup, not split.

If you were making a ricotta cheese filling for ravioli or lasagna, a little would be good thrown in with the rest of the herbs. It's got that assertive taste, so go very easy.

If you were making a salad with those oh la la baby greens, you could throw in a few leaves of mint, or parsley for that matter.

[howboy]

A cous-cous salad with mint and some chopped fresh scallion, peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, avocado, some rice vinegar or lemon juice.....you can bang this out in a few minutes.

[ghbrooklyn]

mint pesto.
with walnuts, toasted bread crumbs, pecorino, olive oil, crushed red pepper.
You can cut it with some basil or parsley if you want.
Great with pasta, grilled or roasted vegetables, chicken, fish, on a sandwich or just spread on a piece of bread.

[monkeyrotica]

Add simple syrup, a good bourbon, lots of cracked ice, pour into a metal cup for a proper mint julip.

[fauchon]

Make Tabouli! Wonderful with lots of fresh mint & parsley!

Also mix mint & garlic into plain yogurt & use as a simple sauce/topping for meat, chicken, fish, roasted veggies...especially good with grilled eggplant...

Check Persian & Turkish recipes...mint is widely used in middle eastern cuisines....

[Dommy]

Along the same line, use with Kibbehs. My mother made great Kibbehs mixing Chopped onion, Soaked Bulgar, and Ground Beef with Mint... YUM!! :)

--Dommy!

[bryan]

Dommy, Would you be willing to part w/ her recipe? Sounds so wonderful.

[Dommy]

She actually doesn't have a recipe... she just kinda slapps things together with salt and pepper of course. Sometimes she puts this mixture on kababs... It's really yummy with roasted tomatoes smooshed over rice! :)

--Dommy!

[Andiereid]

Make Many Mojitos!!

[Splendid Spatula]

I saw a recipe for a minted cranberry sauce in Saveur that sounded very refreshing. You just make a basic sauce, and toss in a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped fresh mint at the very end.

[Pei]

Add a few torn leaves to iced tea or lemonade and let it sit in the fridge for awhile.

Trim the ends and put it in a small glass of water. If nothing else, it makes for a fragrant bouquet for the kitchen.

[HaagenDazs]

Mint ice cubes! You would need to have ice trays to do that, but they work nice in cocktails or iced tea.