Last year I planted mint, against all advice, around my house. Previously I had a mint container garden, which I dragged inside every year, but the mint got root-bound and scraggly and no longer grew luscious thick leaves. I needed fresh mint, and my mint needed a bigger happier place to grow. I have some areas bordered by cement walkways that have never had much in the way good plantings and they seemed the perfect contained place for mint, and I have a friend with excess mint in her yard, and she was delighted to donate a few plants.
So this year I have beautiful mint. Kentucky Colonel and Spearmint. I don't use a ton of mint, but I like to have it handy and I can't stand to pay so much money in the grocery store for a tiny package of an herb that grows so well in Michigan.
Anyway...
...it's the end of summer and the zucchini and summer squash are slowing down, but if you're like me, you have a few more hanging around on the kitchen counter waiting to be used. This side-dish is a delightful alternative to making yet-another-loaf-of-zucchini-bread. Butter, honey, and mint might seem like an odd mix, but they come together in a harmonious combination of flavors, lifting this sautéed zucchini above the ordinary. I used only summer squash in this instance, but it's a beautiful dish with a mix of yellow summer squash and green zucchini.
Summer Squash or Zucchini Rounds in Butter and Honey
from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
About 2lb zucchini, the smaller the better
3 Tbs butter
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tbs honey
3 or 4 Tbs minced fresh mint leaves
Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
Place butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. When foam subsides, add the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Raise heat to high and cook, stirring occassionally until the squash becomes tender and begins to brown (about 15 minutes). Stir in honey and mint, check for seasoning, and serve.
You planted both zucchini AND mint?
In certain parts of the Midwest, you'd be tunneling out of your front door under a mountain of both right now.
Very nice and creative use for both.
Posted by: barrett | September 21, 2006 at 03:07 PM