ISO mint recipe

[nori]

We got a bunch of mint just growing like crazy in our pot. We grow other herbs (basil, oregano....) but the mint gets so big that we really have to use them.

I know you can make mint tea from fresh mint...but the thing is, I'm not a fan of mint tea so much. Anyone knows good mint recipe? TIA!

[JennieL]

I used fresh mint in a Thai eggplant dish last night. If you're interested I can post the recipie. You can also chop fresh mint and freeze it. Are you growing it indoors or out? I haven't had much luck with growing herbs.

[nori]

Jennie, please post that recipe? Sounds interesting.

We're growing them outdoor. We got some tiny pots from nursery and water them everyday. When it gets bigger, we re-plant them to the bigger pot.

My DH is kind of in charge of this. I'm not, but he's pretty good at it.

[sueandwill]

I have a great recipe for a mint cilantro chutney.
It's slightly spicy with the addition of a little jalepeno.

The chutney was originally part of a recipe for Indian samosas but I always use it as a dip for meatballs!

Yummy and fresh tasting.
I'd be happy to post the recipe if you wish.

Sue

[TinkPink]

Sue,

Your chutney sounds delicious - please post the recipe!

;)

[Mamasue]

One word of caution....whatever you do, don't plant mint or any kind of mint in the ground unless you want to be faced with it spreading all over your garden. Mint is very invasive and can really get out of hand. :D

[TinkPink]

Nori,

I'm wanting to grow some herbs indoors - any advice?

TIA

[Little Bit]

I've read on the BB from time to time about drying herbs in the oven, so when I had an extra box of mint leftover a while back, I just dried it in my oven. (250 degrees or so, let it sit there a good while, then turned off the oven and left it there overnight.)
I've since used the mint for tea, and it was fine. Probably not as fabulous as really fresh mint, but better than none. :)

I also like mint in fruit salad.

[KimberlyS]

Sara Moulton did great looking Mint Juleps on Cooking Live. A search on foodtv also shows Mint Julep Icecream!

http://www.foodtv.com/recipes/re-r1/1,6281,,00.html

[JennieL]

Here is the original recipie. I added a teaspoon of seasame oil, about a tablespoon of soy sauce and 1/2 t. chili paste. Instead of brushing the eggplants w/oil, I brushed them with the sauce before broiling. Watch the broiler, they do cook fast! Sorry I don't have the nutritional info.


MINTED EGGPLANT ROUNDS
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

6 Asian (long, thin) eggplants (about 2 pounds)
vegetable oil for brushing eggplant
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup Asian fish sauce (preferably naam pla)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves


Preheat broiler.

Cut eggplants crosswise into 3/4-inch slices and arrange on baking sheets. Brush both sides lightly with oil and broil in batches about 4 inches from heat until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

While eggplant is broiling, stir together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and mint until sugar is dissolved.

Serve eggplant drizzled with sauce.

Serves 6.


Gourmet
June 1994

[sushibones]

Ah, yes, Mamasue,

I'd heard you were supposed to put the mint in a pot before you put it in your garden. Did I listen? NOOOOOOO. I thought that because I put it behind a shrub in a place that didn't get a lot of water, I would be OK. I've been pulling the stuff out for the last two years. Those roots are big and about 3 feet long!!

So ignore Mamasue's warning at your own peril. :D

[MaryH]

Of course if you're looking for a green ground cover that grows REALLY fast ....

:D :D :cool:

[MusicMom]

Here's a wonderful recipe for a salad that uses fresh mint leaves. It always gets rave reviews.

Lebanese Fatoush Salad

INGREDIENTS for salad:

Romaine Lettuce
Radishes
Green Onions (Shallots)
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Toasted Pita Bread (bite size)
1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 Cup chopped fresh mint leaves


Ingredients for Dressing:

1/4 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic (pressed/smashed)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoon sumac

INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix greens and vegetables together for salad.

Mix salad dressing (olive oil through sumac) in a separate bottle. Shake well before using.

[Jessica]

Here's a favorite I posted a while back.

This is from Steven Raichlen's High-Flavor, Low-Fat Cookbook, one of my absolute favorites. You can use an equivalent amount of dried beans (cook them first, of course). This is one of our summer staples and I have given the recipe to many friends, who have made it one of their staples. It is esp. good after the mint in your garden goes nuts.

Black Bean Salad with Feta and Mint

2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1/2 c. tightly packed mint leaves, finely chopped (I use closer to 1/4 c.)
2 oz . feta, crumbled
2 T olive oil (I use 1 or 1 1/2)
3-4 T fresh lemon juice (I use 4)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine beans, onion, mint and most of cheese in a bowl. Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over beans and toss. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then season to taste. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Serve at room temperature or cold.

We eat this as a main dish but it is a good side salad, too. Also good in pitas with a bit of hummus.

333 calories per serving (the recipe only says it serves 4-6); 18 g. protein; 11 g fat; 44 g carb; 162 mg sodium (more for canned beans); 12 mg cholesterol

[Peggy C.]

Or if you prefer to call it what we do tablewy. I can post a recipe next week ifyou'd like.

[AD]

I'm not sure if peppermint leaves are the same, but here is a recipe for a mint sorbet from P. Allen Smith's website that looked rather refreshing. He has several recipes and tips on his website that may also be of interest.

Ingredients:

1 packed cup spearmint leaves
Juice of 2 lemons
3 cups water
2 egg whites
2/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar

Directions:
Strip and wash enough spearmint leaves to make one packed cup. In a pan mix solution of water, corn syrup and sugar. Bring mixture to boil, then add mint. Cover pan, remove from heat, let set for 15 minutes. Strain solution and add juice of lemons. Chill or partially freeze the liquid. Fold in two beaten egg whites then freeze. Serve when firm.

www.pallensmith.com

[nori]

Wow, thanks for a lot of advice, everyone. I'm sure I'll try some of those recipes.

Peggy, I'd love to have your recipe, too.

Tinkpink, start growing herbs indoor would be a good idea. You can get a small pot from the nursery, put it where bright enough (like window side etc.) and water every day. My DH gives them Miraclegrow once in a while. Mint and Basil got some bugs, so he also got some not-to-strong pesticide to get rid of them. I think it was some kind of spray, and you don't use it all the time. You may want to wait to use those herbs until they get bigger. Give them some time to grow big!

Mamasue, it's a good advice! We did not know that they grow that fast. Luckily, we only have pots right now since we're living in an apartment, but we were talking about growing them on ground once we moved to a house. We'll keep our mint in our pot. =)

Again, thanks everyone!!!

[Mamasue]

nori.....if you want the mint in the ground you can dig a whole big enough to fit your pot of mint. That way it looks like its part of your garden but the roots don't spread and overtake your garden. :)

[valeriek]

Once again I'm caught at work without my recipe box. One of my favorite rice dishes uses mint. It is from the Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook, and I believe it is called Mediteranean Rice Pilaf. It has rice, peas, feta cheese, dill, onions, and mint. It might call for dried mint (or maybe I just use dried mint) but I'm sure you could use the real stuff and it would be even better. I have to work tomorrow (my job doesn't believe I should have a social life) so I will post the recipe. It is excellent.

[nori]

Valerie, that sounds good, too! I'm looking forward to your posting tomorrow. I'm sorry you have to work on weekends.
:(

[TinkPink]

Mamasue,

What is Somac?

I will try growing my herbs indoors - not too keen on attracting bugs though. :(

[ClaraB]

Nori, as it happens, I just made a tabbouli - type recipe at lunch today, that uses mint (I was trying to get rid of the mint in my fridge!). Here it is:

* Exported from MasterCook *

Nomad Salad

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 5 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 cups uncooked bulgur -- or cracked wheat
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup dried apricots -- chopped (or dried figs, halved)
1 cup fresh parsley -- chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint -- chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup lemon juice -- freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
15 ounces canned chickpeas -- drained and rinsed

Combine the bulgur and boiling water in a large bowl; cover and let stand for 45 minutes. Drain well, and stir in the apricots (or figs) and remaining ingredients; cover salad and chill.

Source:
"Cooking Light, May 2000, p.190."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 125 Calories; 6g Fat (37.1% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 229mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fruit; 1 Fat.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Don't worry about the fat rating - I haven't yet figured out how to get my mastercook to recognize chickpeas (and lots of other things!) It's actually much lower than my Mastercook indicates.

[Mamasue]

Originally posted by TinkPink
Mamasue,

What is Somac?

I will try growing my herbs indoors - not too keen on attracting bugs though. :(

I think you mean Sumac. The only sumac that I am familiar with is the poison one like poison ivy and poison oak. There is a spice called Sumac but I have never used it so I went to Penzey's to find out for you.

Sumac
Cherry red sumac is used extensively throughout the Middle East, especially in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, either plain or mixed with thyme leaves and sesame seeds (Zatar) as a tabletop condiment. Before the arrival of lemons in Europe, the ancient Romans used sumac for its sour flavor. In the Mediterranean region today, sumac is used as a tabletop condiment or added during cooking to lend a pleasant, fruity sourness and soft cherry color to sauces, poultry, fish, and Turkish salads. The flavor is on the order of lemon juice or vinegar but milder and less acidic. Because of the moistness of the fresh, whole sumac berries, a small amount of salt is added during processing to facilitate grinding. From Syria. Contains Sumac and Salt

[Beth]

There is an Asian flank steak marinade in the CL Complete that we like -- it uses mint.

1/3 c lime juice
1/4 c minced fresh mint
1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
2 T minced peeled fresh ginger
2 T minced seeded jalepeno
3 garlic cloves, minced

[valeriek]

Sorry this took so long. Here is the recipe for Greek Rice Pilaf from the Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook. It does call for dried mint, but I'm sure you can substitute fresh mint for the dried. I love this dish.

1 large onion, chopped (abut 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried mint leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups chopped washed spinach (about 5 ounces)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cups cooked rice
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 cup grated or crumbled feta cheese

In a heavy skillet, saute the onions in the oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add the garlic, mint, and pepper, and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach, lemon juice, rice, and green peas. Add the dill. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When spinach is limp and the rice is hot, top with the feta and serve immediately.

per 8 ounce serving: 305 calories, 8.7 G protein, 9.4 G fat, 46.5 G Carbohydrate, 254 MG Sodium, 17 MG Cholesterol

[Peggy C.]

3/4 cup bulghur (cracked wheat)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup plus 2T chopped mint
1 cup chopped parsley
2 med. tomatoes diced
1 cup diced cucumber
S&P to taste
1/4 cup olive oil*
1/4 cup lemon juice or more
Black olives to garnish (optional)

Soak the bulghur in water for one hour before preparing the salad. Drain it and squeeze out the moisture. Mix together with onion in a bowl. Add all of the other ingredients except the black olives and combine well. Chill before serving.

*I use about 1/2 this much oil.

Sorry it took so long to post, I won't make any lame excuses, I just remembered!
:o

We eat this over lettuce or in sandwich wraps, honestly DH= can eat it with anything...he loves it!