Green Beans and Mint-Mentuccia
Seems like every family had a big patch of mint growing somewhere. It grew like weeds and never needed any maintenance, with the exception of trying to stop its massive spread into the adjoining herbs and garden space. Wild as it was, mint was used for indoor fragrances and for flavoring our food.
When I was very young, the mint we grew was Mentuccia, which is a wild Italian mint. Prepackaged, store-bought mint only resembles the Mint flavor. The only proper way to make this dish is to use the real deal.
Not all vegetable dishes are served warm. I grew up with many cold fresh vegetable dishes on our family table.
Ingredients
1 lb+ fresh green beans or string beans
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
¼ cup fresh Mentuccia, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Blanch the beans, but do not overcook. Make sure to cut off the stem ends of the
beans. In order to allow the mint to properly flavor the beans, combine all ingredients and set over night in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Serve chilled.
The flavor of the mint should only complement the flavor of the fresh beans and not overwhelm them. Some cooks simply use an Italian salad dressing. However, the traditional way to prepare everything to your liking is still the best. After making this dish several times, you will learn how to create your own balance between the beans, mint and garlic.
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