534114 Mon Jun 30 10:59:33 -0700 2008 30 31 Home Cooking 0 3826716 I have tons of fresh mint growing in a pot on my deck. Aside from tabouli/tabbouleh salad Any suggestions for using it up? Does it pair well with any protein other than lamb? Mon Jun 30 10:59:33 -0700 2008 136893 Springhaze2 1 3826808 Put some in your fresh sardine, then grill it, dress with a bit of blood orange and pine nuts. Put a little minced mint in your marinated tomatoes. You can use it in a marinade for chicken. Combine garlic, ginger root, green chilis, garam masala, cinnamon, mint, coriander leaves leaves, and lemon or lime juice in a food processor. If the chicken pieces are small, you can make it into a 'curry'. I usually remove the skin, keep the pieces in joints, and grill on the barbeque. Mon Jun 30 11:22:43 -0700 2008 3826716 91415 hungry_pangolin 1 3826827 I've seen some Thai recipes using mint in beef stir fry and here's one that looks interesting: http://wheatlessbay.wordpress.com/2007/10/28/nicaraguan-beef-with-orange-and-mint/ Try a Google search with "mint +" (+ being any variety of meat like beef, pork, etc.) and you'll find lots of recipes that'll keep you busy. Mon Jun 30 11:28:48 -0700 2008 3826716 203621 todao 1 3826919 (1) Mint is great in beverages. Crushing it (with pestal or ?) will yield more flavor. Mint works well especially with juices made from melon, lemon, and tropical fruits. For an adult cocktail, Colin Cowie offered one on CBS the other day: Royalty: (Can be prepared in advance) 2 oz. Reposado tequila 2 scoops fresh watermelon 1 mint sprig 1 oz. simple syrup .75 oz. fresh lime juice Muddle mint and watermelon. Add remaining ingredients. Shake and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with mint sprig. And, here's his page with other ideas. http://www.colincowie.com/search/node/mint (2) Strawberries are good with mint. Either just leaves or add a little simple syrup mixture with them. And, I use on top of a strawberry cheescake for great look and nice flavor. Arrange clusters of mint leaves under strawberry halves on top of cake. (Carnegie Deli Cheesecake recipe). (3) I grow a chocolate mint plant (got at Home Depot !) Daily watering left the mint flavor in the basil plant below it. SO, when I made pesto with the basil leaves, it had a minty flavor. There are actually recipes for that. Wasn't my favorite, but some may like it since there are recipes for it. And, ants HATE the smell of mint and will stay away, so it that could be helpful, steep them up and pour mix around your picnic area, etc. (4) See also, http://www.theherbspiral.com/MintCuisine.htm It says mint goes with pork loin and other hints. Mon Jun 30 11:53:49 -0700 2008 3826716 29103 kc girl 2 3846316 when we eat outside, my mother puts a big bouquet of mint in the centre of the table, in a vase, and crushes the leaves with her hands. Says the mint wards off flies. Not sure if it works, but the mint smells great! Mon Jul 07 14:47:36 -0700 2008 3826919 10431 Gooseberry 2 3848467 Geeze, I grow lots of mint and it has never deterred ants. I find hills in the mint bed, it seems from spring until a freeze i am constantly fighting those little ants in the house. I put a sprig into a gin and tonic, oddly enough fresh basil sprigs are great in a G&T too. I cook a lot of Vietnamese food in our hot humid summers and the addition of mint in many of the recipes is very refreshing. Tue Jul 08 09:05:06 -0700 2008 3826919 10285 Candy 1 3827028 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/533530 Mon Jun 30 12:25:16 -0700 2008 3826716 139725 janniecooks 1 3827220 My neighbor just made homemade mint ice cream- so much more refreshing than store-bought. It has a light refreshing flavor like a melon soup... I'm hoping to convince him to give me the recipe... I'll share but I'm sure there are other recipes out there. Mon Jun 30 13:14:42 -0700 2008 3826716 139194 lhb78 2 3827794 I made some delicious mint ice cream a few years ago. You can use any basic ice cream recipe and modify it -- they're all pretty much the same aside from the flavoring. I think I used the cinnamon ice cream recipe from the Greens cookbook, substituting a cup or so of fresh mint for the cinnamon stick and letting the mint leaves steep in the heated milk for 10 or 15 minutes to flavor it. Mon Jun 30 15:58:16 -0700 2008 3827220 138816 jlafler 1 3827433 Raita. Many variations, but yogurt, mint,cucumber and whatever else. Very cool and refreshing on hot summer days. Mon Jun 30 14:02:04 -0700 2008 3826716 68319 Sinicle 1 3827623 My DD recently made a front-porch tea party sandwich discovery: freshly picked mint leaves really elevate the standard PB and J! Try it........you might like it........ Mon Jun 30 14:52:52 -0700 2008 3826716 48292 powella 2 3848473 I used to love peanut butter and mint jelly sandwiches. The other kids thought I was weird. Tue Jul 08 09:06:07 -0700 2008 3827623 10285 Candy 1 3827875 Mexican albondigas (meatballs) generally contain mint. And a Mexican friend puts a little in her ceviche, which is delicious. Mon Jun 30 16:30:24 -0700 2008 3826716 98904 MazDee 1 3827892 whizz it up in a blender with some white vinegar, some white onion, some garlic and a chili, and it makes a great marinade for beef. Mon Jun 30 16:34:14 -0700 2008 3826716 86137 purple goddess 1 3827898 These are some wonderful ideas, but I'm not sure whether they use spearmint or peppermint (or even some other kind of mint). I have a container of peppermint because the spearmint plants looked rather anemic when I was shopping for the backyard container "farm". Mon Jun 30 16:35:08 -0700 2008 3826716 131171 nofunlatte 2 3827971 You could use either type of mint for ice cream. Peppermint would probably be best, actually. Mon Jun 30 16:57:46 -0700 2008 3827898 138816 jlafler 3 3828391 Thanks--I think I'll try to make a more subtle mint ice cream using the fresh mint (I recently made a more overt mint cookie ice cream that was going into an ice cream pie--used extract). Mon Jun 30 19:28:20 -0700 2008 3827971 131171 nofunlatte 1 3827928 Mint pesto - same as basil pesto but use mint. It is delicious. I use it as a rub/marinade for grilled salmon and it is fantastic. Mon Jun 30 16:43:44 -0700 2008 3826716 162977 sarah galvin 2 3828129 Wow, thanks all for the great ideas. I can't believe I never thought of ice cream. That sounds so good. nofunlatte, The mint I have was just labeled generic "mint". It came with my Aerograden and grew out of control when I transplanted it into soil. Sarah, Do you use pine nuts in mint pesto? Or some other kind of nut? Mon Jun 30 17:59:57 -0700 2008 3827928 136893 Springhaze2 3 3828305 I use Mario Battali's recipe and it is exactly like basil pesto with pine nuts. I love it. Mon Jun 30 18:58:39 -0700 2008 3828129 162977 sarah galvin 3 3828398 I have discovered that my cat prefers peppermint to catnip (which is also in the mint family, I believe). That's a use I hadn't considered before! Mon Jun 30 19:29:30 -0700 2008 3828129 131171 nofunlatte 1 3828194 I'm so jealous! I planted mint this year and its just not thriving. Mon Jun 30 18:23:04 -0700 2008 3826716 197040 northside food 2 3828306 Just give it a minute and next year it will be you asking for bright ideas :) Mon Jun 30 18:59:08 -0700 2008 3828194 162977 sarah galvin 3 3828572 Yes, when I was a kid I thought of mint as a weed. Our whole yard was full of it! Mon Jun 30 20:45:46 -0700 2008 3828306 138816 jlafler 2 3845970 It should have plenty of water, and not too much sun. I use ginger mint as a topping for fresh cantaloup in the morning. Last week I added basil mint and lavender mint to my collection. Anyone have any thoughts for them?? Mon Jul 07 13:24:12 -0700 2008 3828194 205842 The Old Gal 1 3828312 mint is one of my staple fresh herbs--i almost always have it around. i use it with all sorts of roasted vegetables. roasted carrots, other root vegetables, and zucchini with fresh mint added after cooking are some favorites. if you want to be really decadent, add some butter and honey with the mint when doing carrots or root vegetables. i sometimes make a light summery pasta with creme fraiche, peas and mint. fresh ricotta is a good substitute for creme fraiche too. and a favorite snack is fresh mozzarella and radishes sprinkled with truffle oil, sea salt and fresh mint. Mon Jun 30 19:01:27 -0700 2008 3826716 27586 shivani 1 3828413 No one mentioned mint tea. Dry your mint in a very low oven, pull the leaves off the stems, and store in a jar or freezer bag for next winter. Mon Jun 30 19:33:29 -0700 2008 3826716 56131 jayt90 2 3847683 Oh, yes, my 80-something great-aunt showed me that technique for mint tea. (She grew mint in her garden, which, as a child, I would eat straight off the plant. Same with the dill.) And Jamie Oliver recommends that method (drying fresh spices on a cookie sheet in a low oven to turn them into dried spices) for unused fresh spices in general. That way you don't waste them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB6WE-6fLZw Tue Jul 08 01:21:07 -0700 2008 3828413 184315 weem 1 3828702 Granted, it doesn't use a huge amount of mint, but last Saturday I made a recipe I saw in CHOW: Zucchini Carpaccio - see this link: http://www.chow.com/recipes/10981 I used more lemon zest because I love it and perhaps a bit less mint than was called for. I needed to partially prep it so sliced the squash, added the lemon zest and chopped mint. That kept the slices from sticking to each other. At the dinner, I added a tiny bit of very, very, very good extra virgin olive oil, tossed it a bit, then arranged the slices on a nice square white platter. Sprinkled on the kosher salt and fresh black pepper, drizzled with more of the good olive oil, then added the creamy Fench feta and the pine nuts - oh, I toasted the pine nuts. The dish has a very delicate flavor so it's best to serve it before more full-flavored foods. The plate was empty very quickly! This is a great way to use zucchini and mint! Thanks to Kate Ramos! Mon Jun 30 21:55:40 -0700 2008 3826716 10378 RWCFoodie 1 3846157 Mix a little fresh chopped mint in some vanilla yogurt. Drizzle that over a bowl of fresh summer melon. Hea-ven. Mon Jul 07 14:07:08 -0700 2008 3826716 175519 chrischris 1 3846166 Fresh mint leaves, sliced radishes, green onions, basil leaves, feta cheese wrapped inside a piece of warm toasted lavash. Mon Jul 07 14:10:15 -0700 2008 3826716 184073 susabella 1 3847612 Mark Bittman recently did an edamame salad dressed with olive oil, shaved hard cheese and coarsely chopped mint. I'm trying it this week! Mon Jul 07 23:17:04 -0700 2008 3826716 127037 drgreg