apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Barefoot Contessa's fresh pea soup. The mint is definitely the key ingredient and the soup is so easy and delicious. Good cold too.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fresh-pea-soup-recipe/index.html

This recipe doesn't use a ton of mint, but hopefully its use of other bountiful summer produce will make up for it. I love eating it as a side with grilled meat for dinner, then making a lunch of it the next day.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/greek_diner_salad.html

I second the ice cream! I've made it a few times with my mint crop - so good!
http://backseatgourmet.blogspot.com/2008/09/ice-cream-cures-all.html

I use it to make tisanes before bed. I just steep a handful in hot water for a few minutes, add a touch of honey and voila! I also add it to tons of savory dishes...mushed up with fava beans and olive oil spread on toast, with grilled eggplant, in lamb burgers...wherever I can squeeze it in!

Try it in a salad of chickpeas, thinly-sliced red onion, sliced fennel, a few black olives, and some tomatoes; make a lemon or red wine vinaigrette, and add a handful of chopped mint, parsley, and basil--I like some feta thrown in, too. When I make bean- or grain-based salads, I usually add a handful of mixed herbs to brighten/lighten things up.

Salad rolls are another great way to use mint--here's a nice guideline for what to fill them with:
http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2008/08/01/thai-vietnamese-summer-salad-rolls/

I usually make a spicy sauce with lime juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, chile paste, and garlic, but I think a peanut sauce would work too.

sprinkle it on sauteed, roasted, or grilled zucchini. it's so good.

also, sprinkle it on lamb for a mediterranean flavor.

Three things:
Make a mint pesto (perhaps with a bit of parsley or basil thrown in too), lots of lemon juice, walnuts, olive oil, salt, and smidge of garlic. make a basic risotto recipe and at the end of cooking, stir in the mint pesto and a couple of chopped up juicy nice tomatoes. Delish.

Rice paper rolls with a bit of napa cabbage and carrot, but mainly mint, cilantro, and basil with a simple peanut sauce.

Sauce for Asian noodles: 1 block silken tofu, 3 Tb.-1/4 C. peanut butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, soy, sri racha, lots of mint and cilantro. Puree in blender and pour over any Asian noodles and top with steamed veggies.

Best thing in the world:
- Couscous (or quinoa) - lukewarm or chilled
- mix in diced red onions
- diced up cucumbers
- kidney beans (or garbanzo)
- olive oil and lemon juice
- tons of fresh mint chopped up
- 1 finely chopped jalapeno
- feta cheese crumbled in
- salt and pepper

Make a big vat of this for potluck, picnic, dinner party etc - people go nuts for it.

Tabbouli... Tabouli... Tabbouleh... however it's spelled. (I haven't a clue... someone help please.)

It's best with fresh mint... and lots of fresh parsley. There are loads of recipes out there. Jane Brody's recipe from her Good Food Book circa 1980 is still my favorite.

Put it on pizza!

Most people look at me strangely for this, but I use my fresh mint along with basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley, thyme, garlic and olive oil to make a base for my pizza. By chopping these and using my mortar and pestle to mix/crush everything together, I make a wonderful base sort of pesto that I brush all over the pizza crust before I add the sauce (I do pre-bake my crusts for 3 minutes just to firm up the surface). The mint adds a lightness to the sauce that everyone loves and nobody can identify at first until I tell them. It is wonderful!

Moroccan mint tea uses TONS of mint... basically you just put a bunch of mint in your green tea before pouring.

I also tried a Martha Stewart mint sugar snap peas recipe that was really good: http://www.poweredbytofu.com/2007/03/27/snap-peas-with-mint-mango-chutney-pepperjack-gourmet-grilled-cheese/

Mint Juleps!

Here's an example: http://www.chow.com/recipes/10263

What fertilizer did you use? My plants could use some perking up!

Moroccan mint tea! Add bunches of mint (don't be shy--as much as can fit in the teapot) to green tea, along with LOTS of sugar (again--don't be shy). The mint flavors the tea (and is strained out before the tea is poured).

This is great to drink any time, especially after a meal.

Cookwarejunkie... For years I thought it was one of those Mediterranean dry-loving herbs. No... it drinks up the water. I've learned to water more and I pinch out the tops of each stem. This makes them branch and send out more rhizomes so you get even more mint. I take off an inch or two at a whack. I fertilize with Neptune's Harvest Fish Fertilizer every three weeks or so for the mint. It looks luscious. No flowers yet. I guess I'd have to stop pinching to let it bloom.

http://www.neptunesharvest.com/

Mint pesto is what I'd make.

I have been throwing in a few sprigs when I cold-brew iced tea... I find myself using less sugar in my tea because of the wonderful minty flavor.

I love putting mint in just about everything. I think of it as a sort of herbal equivalent to lemon zest, in that it perks up whatever it's added to. It's bright and flavorful, but doesn't really overwhelm.

Mint is quite good made into a pesto, which can go in eggs, on sandwiches, on pizza, with pasta, on fish, etc. etc. etc. Or just combine it with parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, or basil, and use it wherever you'd use that herb. Many of those herbs are actually in the mint family anyway, so they tend to pair well.

http://www.abreadaday.com

this recipe is to DIE for

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Penne-with-Grilled-Zucchini-Ricotta-Salata-and-Mint-239062


it's perfect during the summer!!!

The most elegant (quick and simple but absolutely lovely) solution: Mint water (Agua de Yerba Buena). I made some this weekend to go wash down spicy pork sandwiches.

http://gabrielaskitchen.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/las-bebidas-agua-de-yerba-buena-spearmint-water/

Here are some of my favorite ways to use mint: Chevre Mint Cream Pasta with Eggplant, Garlic Mint Grilled Chicken & Grapefruit Basil Mint Salad. Mint is great with deserts too. Try melting some dark chocolate & dipping the leaves in. Let them harden for a bit & voila, dessert!

1. Mint/Cilantro chutney as a dip for vegetables or fritters.
2. Add it to tea (add in with tea leaves when brewing it in kettle)
3. Zucchini/Herb fritters - use egg and breadcrumbs as binder, shredded zucchini (salted and squeezed dry), chopped herbs like mint, parsley, etc, and fry in olive oil. Serve with yogurt sauce.

I make salad dressing with mint, or basil, depending on which plant looks more lush that week. Using a blender (or magic bullet!) just put a handful of mint, your choice of vinegar or lemon juice, oil, and emulsifier.

I'll add it to breakfast smoothies as well.

sarah @ inpraiseofleftovers.com throws mint into a ton. check out mint under the ingredients index (found under the recipe tab).

"raw kuskus" (delish):

1 head of cauliflower
1 bunch mint
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch cilantro
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 jar of kalamata pitted olives (whatever you like really)
some sea salt
a tablespoon or more of fresh ground pepper

use a food processor to chop the cauliflower into little kuskus like bits. chop everything else up by hand. combine. dig in.

i adapted the recipe from Rawvolution and have been making it for years now, even my non vegan company has strong affectionate feelings for it, you might too!

I use it in everyday salads. I also read somewhere at some point that it was a better substitute for Thai Basil than regular old basil is. So I use it all the time for Thai Red Curry and other dishes.

Mint is great with eggs. I love this mint and onion omelette/fritatta:

2-3 eggs
1 onion
garlic (if you like)
lot's of mint (the omelette should be completely coverd)
salt & pepper
olive oil for frying

Fry on both sides in a medum sized pan, turn it by transfering it to a plate and then back to the pan.

Lovely!

Sun tea uses up a ton of mint, and keeps the kitchen cool, too.

I use enough mint sprigs (peppermint, spearmint, and lemon balm) in mine to loosely fill my pitcher about halfway, 3 green tea bags, fill with water, and let it sit on the deck railing for a bunch of hours, till it looks like tea. Stir in sweetener, pour over ice.

If I'm not drinking it all right away I'll take out the mint and tea bags to keep in the fridge - I read somewhere that leaving it makes it bitter.

iranian basmati rice... it's cooked twice and has butter, lima beans, dried mint, and saffron. delicious!

I recently tossed sliced, roasted egglant with a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and mixed with capers and chopped mint... leave it to marinate for at least 20 minutes - it's great at room temperature or cold. The combination was pretty memorable... and it's even better the next day.

mint is delicious on a caprese sandwich or salad. Also fresh spring rolls. (shrimp, tofu, pork, whatever :)