More than a hint of mint

MONITORThere are lots of different varieties, but pick the right mint and it will shine

GARDENERS CAN be forgiven for complaining about mint. This herb is a terror and given half a chance it will take over. It has taken two years to rid my concrete garden of the stuff, even though I love it. It is more often than not best contained in pots.

Mint and summer, they just go together. Mint tea is a favourite, but try an Indian-inspired fresh mint chutney, not to eat with lamb, but to spread on pretty much all grilled food. The challenge with mint is finding the right variety. One with a peppery kick, one with attitude, one with a certain sweetness but nothing too sickly. You can always add sugar. Mint juleps are all about just that; feisty mint, sugar and lots of ice – and bourbon, of course. Pick the right mint and it will smarten up a noodle soup no end, pick the wrong one and you might end up with liquid pudding.

While there are plenty of plants that sport many and varied species, mint seems somewhat unique in its broad cross-section; garden mints vary hugely and that is before you have considered Asian mint, Corsican mint or bergamot mint (which I can testify is rather yummy for tea).

I hate to challenge tradition so thoroughly, but I have little time for making mint sauce or eating it with lamb. I can’t see the point of all that vinegar; it spoils the lamb and does nothing for the mint, killing off any refreshing contribution it might make with a shake of the vinegar bottle.

Instead, try fashioning a fresh mint sauce from plenty of the herb crushed with capers (a combination that works rather well on pasta with plenty of Parmesan). But it is not just the Mediterranean countries that are good with mint. In Thai cooking, it constantly appears in salads and in Vietnam in both salads and soups. Its role is to refresh, but not to dominate, the odd, powerful kick as you crunch on the sinewy leaves.

There are several dozen species of the genus Mentha, and common garden mint, given a pot and sunny position, will yield peppery delights literally forever. Plant some today and you can be enjoying mint with new potatoes and peas and broad beans for the rest of the summer. For those of you into making your own pesto, mint added to the basil gives a welcome, peppery kick.

The key is to have confidence. You always need more than a few sprigs in a salad, but you don’t want every mouthful to bring you mint. Add a sparse handful of chopped fresh mint to a fresh tomato sauce over pasta and you will win plaudits. Make it a large handful, together with some chopped capers and garlic, and you have a fresh dose of summer sunshine to wake you up.

Mint ice-cream is one of summer’s treats and no better than when made fresh. Use the flavour in the stems as well as the leaves. The former should be bashed and infused with the syrup, the latter blanched and then crushed with the cooled syrup. Chocolate chips might challenge a purist, but it works for me; the ice-cold crunch of dark chocolate flavoured with mint. What is there not to like?

Too often, mint tea is made from tired, dusty bags and restaurants are the most guilty culprits here. A few sprigs of fresh mint plunged into boiling water make the perfect brew, and this is far more suitable for the end of a meal than coffee. How much sugar you add is up to you. Personally, I find any hint of sugar too cloying. I want summer sunshine in my cup.

harnold@irishtimes.com