Mint's a cheeky herb that will take over gardens, transform summer recipes

IN THE FIELD of herbs, mint stands alone. Undeniably bracing, its flavor enervates Mediterranean, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, yet mint is still underutilized in most American home kitchens.

Well-known for prolific sprouting, the fragrant herb quickly takes over garden beds by pushing out wandering shoots, bullying everything that gets in its way.

"It's best to plant in pots in the ground if you won't want it to take over everything," said Norm Schultz, who manages the farm and the year-round garden center at Linvilla Orchards, in Media. Linvilla carries spearmint plants along with chocolate mint and apple mint, varieties that surprise with subtle hints of mingled flavors. "Mint thrives in just about any conditions," Schultz said, "although it does best in well-drained soil in full sun."

Since you're likely to have scads of it this summer, why not do more with mint than just muddle it with bourbon or add it to fizzy water, lime juice, sugar and rum - although those are both excellent ideas.

Long prized for its healthful qualities, especially as an aid to digestion, mint brings an illustrious history to the table. According to Greek mythology, mint was the name of a cheeky nymph about to be seduced by Hades when Queen Persephone turned her into a plant.

Pliny the Elder opined that the herb reanimated the spirit. The Romans introduced native mint to the Brits, who in turn probably brought it to America on one of the Pilgrim voyages, along with a slew of other herbs and plants.

Mint is a natural pick-me-up. It wakes up a glass of iced tea and does something magical to chocolate every time. Add chopped mint to cut-up fresh fruit, along with a squeeze of lime, and you've got a low-cal dessert with eye-popping appeal.

Mixed with other fresh herbs or alone, mint adds bright notes to a simple summer salad. Chefs around town are digging on mint, too, incorporating it into myriad savory summer dishes.

Chef John Brandt-Lee, of Avalon Restaurant & Avalon Bistro, in West Chester, makes an arugula salad with balsamic vinegar, blueberries, goat cheese, candied pecans and fresh-cut mint.

At Square 1682, chef de cuisine Caitlin Mateo is working magic with a cold, minted pea soup that's the ideal starter for light summer supper.

In South Philly, at Le Virtu, chef Joe Cicala adds mint to sautéed tripe, his salsa verde and over a special sheep's-milk ricotta with spring-pea ragu, mint and pancetta. Industry chef Pat Szoke likes the pairing of mint, lamb ragu and fava beans over pappardelle pasta.

At Sampan, chef Michael Schulson incorporates mint into his pork banh mi and in a shiso chimichurri served with steak. Shiso is also in the mint family.

Besides using pounds of Hierba Buena, a Latin American mint, in signature mojitos, Cuba Libre chef Guillermo Pernot does a riff on traditional ropa vieja, using eggplant, lamb and mint, which he then stuffs into ravioli and serves in a minted broth.

"Mint brings out the delicate, nutty flavors in artichokes and fava beans, adds a kick to Thai and Indian dishes along with garlic, basil and ginger, cleanses the palate in sorbets and fruit salads, and instantly lightens heavy protein dishes for the summertime appetite," said Michael Luongo, executive chef at Glenmorgan, in the Radnor Hotel, where a seasonal herb garden debuted this spring.

"I love the powerful aroma that fresh mint brings to the kitchen," he said. " The peppery mouth-feel and clean, grassy finish that mint provides in sauces, vinaigrettes and salads is wonderful and shouts to the senses that summer is here."

Luongo makes a mint watermelon sauce spiked with bourbon that goes beautifully with grilled lamb.

The effervescent Indian chef Jagmeet "Happy" Singh, who opened his restaurant, 401 Nirvana, in Conshohocken four months ago, goes through at least 10 pounds of mint every week, using it in a homemade zesty mint chutney, in aromatic biryani rice dishes, stuffed into naan bread and in his own creation, a curried kabob of chicken stuffed with fresh mint and lamb topped with creamy korma sauce.

"Mint is very important to Indian cuisine," said the Punjab native, who came to the U.S. to become a pilot and flew straight into the kitchen instead.

Mint is an ideal ingredient in lighter summer fare, said John Mims, chef/owner at Carmine's Creole Act II, in Narberth. "I've been feeding this same crowd since 1998, and we're all getting a little older and watching what we eat. My cooking has evolved along those lines."

Mims' regulars love his cold honeydew, mint and Serrano chile soup, or, for something with a bigger caloric punch, his buttery sautéed shrimp with mint pesto.

As is the case with all fresh herbs, for the brightest flavor add chopped mint at the end of the cooking process, or at the beginning if you are using dried.

"And you can always add more," said Jim Coleman, executive chef at Sofitel and Liberté Lounge, where his lamb burger is a minty hit.

The hotel's large rooftop garden is an oasis of fresh herbs, tomatoes, squash, sweet and hot peppers. "Think of using mint with any dish that has natural oils in it, like salmon or lamb, or dishes with a lot of olive oil," said Coleman. "Mint doesn't get lost like fresh basil can. It holds its own."