What's Cookin' - Mint

Published August 13, 2008 in The Spectrum & Daily News

By Kathryn van Roosendaal

If ever there were an herb that tasted and smelled like a breath of fresh air, it would be mint. The scent is like a cool breeze to the sinuses and the flavor is ice cubes to the tongue. So loved is this wonderful plant that it has been praised by poets from ancient Greece to Japan for centuries and it has been cultivated into more than 600 different varieties.

And yet it is an herb that sits on kitchen shelf, unused and ignored. Sure, it is used to flavor gum and ice cream, but you don’t use it in actual cooking, do you?

Oh, but you do. The standard varieties – peppermint, spearmint and pennyroyal – are can be used in potato dishes or to flavor peas and squash. They can make jams, jellies or sauces to go with ice cream, cakes or leg of lamb and do wonders to liven up boring chicken dishes. Float a few leaves in the punch bowl for an instant party or dip them in chocolate for a tasty decoration for a fruit plate.

Of course, there is also applemint, lemon mint, chocolate mint, marshmallow mint, Corsican mint, Eau de cologne mint, ginger mint … the list goes on and on. Each one has a different scent a different taste, some mild, some sharp, some sweet. If you have a recipe, chances are there is a mint that goes with it. Just remember that mint is a strong herb, so a tiny bit goes a long way.

Mint grows great just about anywhere you plant it. In fact, it grows a bit too well. Most varieties are very invasive and almost impossible to kill. Some varieties like Corsican mint and creeping pennyroyal make great groundcovers for this reason. If you don’t want it taking over, plant it in pots. All varieties like moist, well-drained, rich soil – standard potting soil works great – and does best in Southern Utah with some afternoon shade. Most mints have sterile flowers, but the will grow from even the tiniest root or stem cutting so propagation isn’t a problem.

The leaves have the strongest flavor just before the plant flowers in mid-summer, but they can be harvested anytime as you need them. Mint is one of the few herbs to hold its flavor and scent well when dried, so go ahead and dry extra leaves or freeze them for later.

Persian Chicken

A mix of herbs brings out the exotic flavor in this easy chicken dish. The original recipe I found simply called for mint without specifying which kind. I prefer to use pennyroyal or lemon mint.

4 tablespoons butter

2 medium onions, sliced thickly

1 whole fryer chicken, washed

2 cups chicken broth

Salt and pepper

1 cup chopped parsley

1 cup chopped chives

1/4 cup chopped mint

1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

1/3 cup chopped almonds

2/3 cup fresh orange juice

grated rind of 2 oranges

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pan deep enough to hold the chicken and sauté the onions until they are golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken to the pan with the chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken is tender. Melt the remaining butter in a pan and lightly cook the parsley, chives, mint and cilantro. Pour the butter mixture over the chicken, then stir in the chopped almonds, orange juice and the orange rind. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken to a deep platter and cover with the juice from the pan. Carve at the table and serve with rice or noodles. Serves 4 to 6.

Mint and Chocolate Ice Cream

This is a delicious, rich, creamy ice cream that you can easily make at home. You can completely change the taste of the dish by using different kinds of mint.

1 cup mint leaves (I prefer peppermint, but use your imagination)

1/3 cup superfine sugar

3 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

2 eggs, separated

1 1/3 cup heavy cream

Chop the mint leaves as finely as possible and mix with half the sugar. Set aside. Melt 2 ounces of the chocolate chops over a double boiler or carefully in the microwave. Add the egg yolks and whisk until creamy. Set aside to cool. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then fold in the sugar mixed with the mint. Fold the cream mixture into the chocolate mixture. Freeze in an ice cream freezer until it is just barely set. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold in the remaining sugar, then carefully fold the egg whites into the ice cream. Chop the remaining chocolate chips and stir them into the ice cream. Continue to freeze in the ice cream freezer until completely set. Serves 6