Besides mojitos, what to do with this bundle of mint?

If you’re doing a rack of lamb (invite me please!), here’s a bit of history:

In the 1500s, Queen Elizabeth I decreed lamb or mutton must be eaten with bitter herbs as some sort of penance in her effort to discourage consumption and bolster the wool trade. But the mint made the meat, especially from older and gamier sheep, taste that much better.

The reason isn’t just seasonal or historical. It’s scientific. Mint is rich with branched-chain ketones, chemically related to the branched-chain fatty acids released during cooking lamb. Foods that share similar compounds and chemical structures taste better together, according to the 2011 article “Flavor Network and the Principles of Food Pairings” in Scientific Reports.

Lamb & mint: A classic pairing by Adriana Janovich, https://magazine.wsu.edu/2021/02/17/lamb-mint-a-classic-pairing/

Here’s a recipe for lamb and mint, using apples which are high in pectin.

For minty drinks at a later date

• Freeze leaves in ice cubes
• Make mint simple syrup

Salads

• Watermelon-feta-mint
• Tomato with mint
• Cucumber with mint

Mint and peas

• Toast with ricotta dollop, topped with peas and chopped mint
• Easy pea soup with frozen peas

Sauces

• Pudina chutney – recipes for North Indian and South Indian
• Raita – any raita recipe or this very minty dressing
• Greek tzatzki