Accessible minty appetizers

November 25, 2005 2:33 PM

Every year at Christmas, my husband's family has a cooking contest. I don't expect to win, because Grandma is generally a lock. However, I'm a good sport and generally try to make a respectable showing. This year's theme is "appetizers with mint in them," and I am looking for tasty recipes. There's a catch though...

We live in Chicago. My in-laws live in very rural North Carolina. The judging for the contest takes place on Christmas Eve, and we are flying down two days prior to that. Therefore, unless I make something very long-lasting, I'll have to cook it there. I am willing to bring some ingredients with me if they are small and easily packable, but am not trying to drag a cooler through O'Hare and onto a plane around the holidays. So the first restriction is that the majority of ingredients and all fresh or large items must be purchasable at the IGA.

The second is that most of my culinary audience has probably not had much exposure to non-US food besides Chinese and Mexican. Most of these folks are, if not exactly comfortable with strange foods, at least good sports about trying new things*, but I think I'd fare better if I made something that was at least arguably in the realm of southern cooking.

My second idea after spring rolls (leading me to imagine being teased for serving raw egg rolls) was an altered samosa-type thing, maybe a potato croquette-esque item, with a traditional mint chutney, but I thought the MeFoodies might have some better ideas.

* A cousin in cooking school's sauteed green beans got a few raised eyebrows for not having been boiled with fat back. (Not to knock boiled green beans with a little flavoring pork - I'll take them over "haricot verts" almost any day.)

posted by jennyb to food & drink (18 comments total)

Oh, and no booze either. Our generation would probably be thrilled, but Grandma and Grandpa, et al, would most definitely not. (The cooking school cousin also served wine with her dinner - a first and quite the coup. We've not been married long enough for me to pull a similar stunt.)
posted by jennyb at 2:39 PM on November 25, 2005

Dolmas are really good with mint in them.
posted by thirteenkiller at 2:40 PM on November 25, 2005

I love tahnabour, an Armenian yogurt and barley soup with mint. For best results, make it a day ahead so as to let the onions permeate the broth. Also, instead of using water, try broth. I sometimes pick up lamb bones from the butcher (free, call ahead to reserve them) and cook up a stock of part chicken, part lamb. Full fat yogurt makes the best version of the soup, be sure to add it once the broth has cooled to prevent curdles.

The soup is seriously addictive, and the simple ingredients shouldn't scare anyone. By "dzedzadz" they really mean pearled barley.
posted by cior at 2:50 PM on November 25, 2005

Is there anything you could do with mint chutney, or will that not count as cooked? (Warning - there are some really amazingly bad and bland recipes for it on that link, but a couple look okay).
posted by dilettante at 2:50 PM on November 25, 2005

diletante, I don't think it has to be cooked as long as it can be considered an appetizer. I think a mint chutney is a great idea - I just need something to dip in it.

(the simple ingredients shouldn't scare anyone... they won't have to. The words "cold yogurt soup" will do that just fine. But that looks easy and tasty to me; I might make that for non-competition purposes!)
posted by jennyb at 2:57 PM on November 25, 2005

What a neat tradition! What about something with melon, proscuitto and mint? THe proscuitto would be easy to bring from Chicago, it may be a little difficult to find a melon with decent flavor this time of year.
Other than that I think the samosa variation sounds really good.

Where are you flying into? (I live in NC)
posted by TheLibrarian at 3:09 PM on November 25, 2005

What about Vietnamese(-style) salad rolls? You could probably make those in advance and fly down with them. Make 'em small and call them apps.
posted by bonehead at 3:15 PM on November 25, 2005

TheLibrarian - Raleigh, and then heading east...
posted by jennyb at 3:29 PM on November 25, 2005

If you are flying into RDU, there is a Whole Foods on your way heading east. It is really easy to get to, just on the edge of town.
Also mint pesto? My husband suggested lamb stuffed with mint pesto and goat cheese and then sliced into pinwheel slices.
posted by TheLibrarian at 3:54 PM on November 25, 2005

I was going to suggest mint brownies, but I suspect the winning ingredient wouldn't go down well with folk who disapprove of wine.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:11 PM on November 25, 2005

Salad rolls (not spring rolls) with lamb, smoked salmon and mint.
posted by solid-one-love at 4:38 PM on November 25, 2005

jennyb, your green bean comment reminded me of a friend's favorite tale of his grandmother. As an adult (and a fine cook), he made a meal for the family that included steamed green beans with fresh hollandaise. Noticing Granny only picking at hers, he asked what was wrong.

"Nothing, Sonny," she said. "I just make mine a bit different, is all." "How so?" he asked. "Well, I throw 'em in salted water with a ham hock, and boil 'em -- hard -- for every bit o' forty minutes."

That shut him up, and he was rarely at a loss for words.
posted by rob511 at 4:42 PM on November 25, 2005

Honey, I live in North Carolina (an hour and a half south of Raleigh) and I am IMPRESSED that they are cooking with mint at all.

(But I cannot help but suspect they have mint flavoring in mind instead of the fresh stuff. I mean, if they cook with fatback.....at least they don't slice it and serve it on the side at the table like my grandmother used to do. I assume...)
posted by konolia at 5:24 PM on November 25, 2005

Lamb and mint always go well together. Maybe a skewer with some kind of mint glaze?

My g/f likes to roast cauliflower with some fresh tomato and mint.
posted by mkultra at 5:46 PM on November 25, 2005

Tabouli!
posted by Wet Spot at 6:04 PM on November 25, 2005

Konolia, my first thought on hearing the theme was that I'd have to figure out a way to use crushed up star mints in a non-desert item. Regular old mint leaves didn't even occur to me until after I told my husband I was too grossed to participate at all this year.

They've not served sliced fat back at any dinners I've attended, but I wouldn't even blink if they did. We'll be about two hours due east of you, by the way.

Thanks for the Whole Foods tip, TheLibrarian. That might help! And I like the idea of pinwheels or lamb skewers... Thanks!
posted by jennyb at 6:47 PM on November 25, 2005

Mint juleps with bourbon make for great appetizers. ;-)
posted by frogan at 7:32 PM on November 25, 2005

Mint Nanaimo Bars. I grew up in Nanaimo and my mom and I often experimented with the recipe. (I've given you the link to the official one, but we always used the one on the back of Bird's Custard tin, which is *really* the traditional one. It uses walnuts instead of almonds, too.) It's not uncommon for Nanaimoites to add 1 tsp of mint extract and a dash of green food colouring to the custard mixture when they want to make Mint Nanaimo Bars, instead of the usual variety. Nanaimo Bars freeze extremely well and would probably thaw nicely during your flight. However, I'm not sure you wanted a dessert.
posted by acoutu at 10:55 PM on November 25, 2005