There are those people who like mint, and there are those of us that love mint.
Cool, bracing, just a little bit sweet, it's one of my favorite flavors -- quite often, you'll find a pack of Mentos in my pocket; the freezer in our apartment rarely goes for more than a few days without containing Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream.
All this being said, like many herbs, there simply is no substitute for the real thing, fresh and homegrown. I should know -- for the last few months, I've been lucky to have an unruly, rapidly growing mint plant of my own. In fact, it's been growing so fast that I've been struggling to use it all up, tossing a little in this, a little in that, revitalizing well-trod recipes with its blast of refreshingly green tannins. This isn't just limited to desserts, however; while everyone knows how to use mint in desserts, it can be an inspired addition to savory dishes, such as the one I'm presenting today.
As a quick glance at the sidebar of this website demonstrates, I've tried to organize the recipes here by course and type, and the category of "Side Dishes" has been sorely neglected, something that I hope to rectify over the coming months. After all, what is summer about, if it's not about picnics, and side dishes, and salads; a million different dishes full of spice and crunch and zip?
