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Curly, Japanese, Bergamot, Pineapple, corn, water, Australian… These are all varieties of mint, which is loved by many. The Mediterranean is considered the birthplace of the plant. Although today it can be found in any region with a mild warm climate. Mint probably grows in your dacha as well. Most often, we add juicy fragrant leaves to salads or tea, and also dry them for the winter. And thus we deprive ourselves of so many gastronomic pleasures. Let’s see where you can add mint to make delicious and healthy dishes.
Meat pleasure
With a subtle refreshing aroma and a pleasant menthol taste, mint perfectly complements meat, poultry and pasta. In addition, it helps heavy food to be absorbed easier and faster. In particular, it stimulates the production of gastric juice and accelerates metabolism. That’s why the recipe for mint sauce will be a good addition to a good fried steak or spicy wings on the grill. Here is one of the variations of this sauce.
Ingredients:
- fresh mint — a small bunch
- fresh cilantro — 5-6 sprigs
- garlic-2-3 cloves
- lime — 1 pc.
- olive oil-80 ml
- water — 20 ml
- white wine vinegar — 1 tsp.
- powdered sugar-0.5 tsp.
- salt — to taste
We wash and dry the greens well, tear off all the leaves. We press the peeled garlic with the flat side of the knife. We put everything in the bowl of a blender, pour in water, grind it into a pulp. In a separate container, mix olive oil, wine vinegar, lime juice, powdered sugar and salt. Pour the resulting mixture into the green gruel and punch it with a blender again. Pour the sauce into a glass jar with a tight lid and store in the refrigerator. But not longer than 2-3 days.
Gatherings in Greek
Mint was widely known in ancient times. The Greeks strenuously rubbed mint leaves on the tables and walls in the room where a hearty feast was planned. They believed that the fragrant aroma stimulates the appetite and acts as an aphrodisiac. And you can also add mint to the traditional Greek sauce zadziki, or tzatziki.
Ingredients:
- fresh cucumber — 1 pc.
- natural yogurt — 100 g
- mint leaves — 1 handful
- olive oil — 1 tbsp.
- lemon juice — 1 tsp.
- garlic — 1-5 cloves
- sea salt — to taste
Peel the cucumber, cut it in half, remove the seeds with a teaspoon, rub the pulp on a fine grater. We transfer the resulting mass to cheesecloth and hang it over the bowl to drain the excess liquid. Then mix the pulp with yogurt, olive oil and lemon juice. Finely chop the mint, pass the garlic through the press, also add them to the cucumber mass. At the end, salt the sauce to taste. Let it brew in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. What you did not have time to eat, store in an airtight container for no longer than 4-5 days. Zajiki sauce is served with meat, poultry, fish and seafood. And it is also used as a salad dressing.
Burning coolness
In Asian cuisine, you can most often find recipes for meat with mint. This herb is best combined with lamb. And it is also indispensable in spicy soups with a subtle expressive sourness. For such dishes, you should choose chocolate or orange mint. However, the more familiar pepper is also suitable for us. Let’s make an Asian-style soup with udon, shrimp and mushrooms.
Ingredients:
- shrimp — 500 g
- fresh mushrooms-250 g
- udon noodles-150 g
- chicken broth-1.5 liters
- fish sauce — 2 tbsp. l.
- lime juice — 2 tbsp.
- mint — a small bunch
- lemongrass — 5-6 stems
- red chili pepper-0.5 pods
- green onions — for serving
- salt — to taste
Bring the chicken broth to a boil, lay the shrimp and lemongrass stalks, cook for 2-3 minutes on low heat, then filter the broth and pour it back into the pan. At the same time, we put udon to cook. Meanwhile, we chop the mint, cut the champignons into plates, and the chili pepper into rings.
We cool the shrimps, peel them from the shells and send them to the broth. Then we pour out mushrooms, udon, rings of hot pepper and mint. We fill the soup with fish sauce and lime juice, salt to taste, let it simmer for another couple of minutes. Before serving, garnish each portion of the soup with mint leaves and chopped green onions.
Kolobki with a cold heart
Mint is endowed with a lot of useful properties. With regular use, it helps to strengthen the heart muscle, and make the blood vessels more elastic. In addition, the active substances prevent the development of cholesterol plaques and dilute blood clots. To make the healing process tastier, we will prepare meatballs with mint and chili pepper.
Ingredients:
- minced meat-700 g
- onion — 1 head
- mint — a small bunch
- chili pepper — 1 pod
- garlic-1-2 cloves
- fleshy tomatoes-3-4 pcs.
- tomato paste — 1 tbsp. l.
- vegetable oil — 3 tbsp. l.
- water — 100 ml
- ground cumin and ginger-0.5 tsp each.
- salt, black pepper — to taste
We chop the mint, leave a few leaves for serving. We pass garlic through the press. We chop the onion as small as possible. Mix the onion, garlic and half of the mint with minced meat, we make small neat balls.
Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan with a thick bottom and fry the meat balls from all sides. We remove the skin from the tomatoes, grind them into a puree, put them in a saucepan together with tomato paste. Let the meatballs sweat for a couple of minutes, then pour in water, add hot pepper rings, put salt and spices. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for half an hour. 10 minutes before the end, pour the remaining mint into the gravy. Serve meatballs with chili rings and mint leaves.
Shish kebab with mint flavor
Mint has been proven to have a calming effect. It is especially indicated for chronic fatigue and frequent stress. Only the mint aroma helps to put your nerves in order and relax. And where else to relax, if not in nature? In addition, you can cook delicious meat on the grill there. To make it really successful, save the recipe for the original mint marinade.
Ingredients:
- mint — half a bunch
- lemon — 1 pc.
- fresh rosemary — 1 sprig
- garlic — 2 cloves
- olive oil — 4 tbsp.
- salt, black pepper — to taste
Pour boiling water over the lemon and wash the peel with a brush. Using a fine grater, rub the zest, trying not to touch the white part. Then squeeze the juice from half a lemon. We remove all the mint leaves from the stems and chop them smaller. Mix them with garlic passed through the press, add the juice and lemon zest, pour in olive oil. We also remove the leaves from the rosemary sprig and put them in the marinade. Season it with salt and pepper, mix. This marinade is suitable for lamb kebabs, beef steak, chicken shanks. And it can also be served as a sauce for grilled meat.
Emerald ice on a stick
The tonic effect of mint has been known for a long time. All thanks to menthol and essential oils. It is no coincidence that cosmetologists love mint so much and recommend adding its extract to tonics, masks and home-made creams. Such products gently relieve irritation, itching and rash, and at the same time soothe the skin heated under the summer sun. To feel the toning effect from the inside, prepare an original green sorbet.
Ingredients:
- mint leaves — 1 cup
- sugar — 1 cup
- boiling water — 1 cup
- lemon — 1 pc.
- lemon juice-0.5 cups
We knead the mint leaves a little with a pestle. Thoroughly wash the lemon, wipe it dry and remove the zest with a fine grater. We transfer it to a glass container, add mint leaves, pour sugar over it, pour boiling water over it. Cover the mixture with a lid, insist for half an hour, then filter through several layers of gauze. Now pour in the lemon juice, mix well, pour into cups. We remove the sorbet in the freezer until it completely solidifies. Do not forget to insert the sticks when the mass grabs a little.
Citrus boom in a glass
Mint has another valuable property — it relieves a headache. In summer, under the scorching sun, it occurs often. Essential oils dilate blood vessels, normalize blood pressure — and pain sensations pass by themselves. Make lemonade with grapefruit, lemon and lime. It perfectly quenches thirst and refreshes, and if necessary relieves headaches. And here is the recipe for a drink with mint.
Ingredients:
- grapefruit — 1 pc.
- lemon — 2 pcs.
- lime — 2 pcs.
- mint — 3-4 sprigs
- carbonated water-500 ml
- sugar – to taste
We cut all the citrus fruits in half, cut off several slices, squeeze out all the juice from the remaining pulp and combine it in one container. Mint sprigs are lightly kneaded with a pusher, put on the bottom of the decanter along with slices of fruit. Fill everything with freshly squeezed juice and mineral water, let it stand in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Serve the lemonade, decorating the glasses with fresh mint leaves.
All shades of green
Nutritionists call mint one of the most effective products for detox, because the active substances contained in it help to remove toxins from the body. In addition, mint improves the complexion, and makes the hair thick and beautiful. How to experience this miraculous power in action? Make a mint smoothie for yourself.
Ingredients:
- avocado — 1 pc.
- green apple — 1 pc.
- cucumber — 1 pc.
- celery stalks — 1 pc.
- mint — 4-5 sprigs
- lemon juice — 2 tbsp. l.
- filtered water — 100 ml
- honey – to taste
Peel all the fruits and cucumber. We remove the bone from the avocado, and the core from the apple. Coarsely cut all the ingredients, pour them into the bowl of a blender. Add the mint leaves and the celery stalk chopped into fragments, whisk everything into a homogeneous mass. Pour in the lemon juice and water to the desired density. Sweeteners can add a little honey. But even without that, the taste of the smoothie will be quite rich.
Now you know where you can add mint. We hope that your culinary piggy bank will be replenished with interesting dishes and drinks. If you need more recipes with this ingredient, look for them on the website “Eating at Home”. And how often do you use mint in your daily menu? What products do you prefer to combine it with? Do you have any special dishes with mint? We are waiting for your stories in the comments.