Which herb has the greatest variety of uses? Some would say parsley, which is indeed ubiquitous in kitchens around the world. For others it might be a toss up between basil or cilantro (fresh coriander). But even though I couldn’t imagine cooking without fresh parsley, cilantro or basil, I’d still put my money on mint in the versatility stakes. Mint is surely among the hardest-working herbs on the market, albeit one of the most underrated.

To celebrate this truly versatile herb, here are some simple and delicious ideas for using fresh mint in a variety of Mediterranean and Asian dishes:

• Potatoes have a particular affinity with mint, and our Salsa Verde Potato Salad is a firm favorite of ours. Simply boil 2 lbs. (1kg) of potatoes (cut into chunks or use whole baby potatoes) until tender. To make the salsa verde (a piquant Italian green sauce), put 2 chopped anchovies, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped mint, 1 teaspoon capers, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse until roughly blended, drizzling in ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil as you go. Toss gently with the cooked potatoes until well combined. Serve with grilled fish or chicken and steamed green beans or asparagus on the side.
• Fresh mint elevates even the most humble vegetables to gourmet status. A simple and tasty combination is Peas and Fava Beans with Feta and Mint. Cook equal amounts of green peas and fava beans (frozen, or fresh if you can get them) and toss with some extra virgin olive oil, chopped mint, crumbled feta cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Also check out our recipe for Carrots with Coriander, Cumin and Mint for a deliciously different vegetable side dish.
• Mint adds a zesty freshness to all sorts of salads. To make a quick version of Tabbouleh, a traditional Middle Eastern salad, put plenty of fresh parsley together with a small amount of fresh mint in a food processor and pulse in short bursts until coarsely chopped (being careful not to over-blend to a mush). Place the herbs in a salad bowl, stir in some cooked bulgur, diced tomato and sliced scallion, and dress with extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
• For an easy yet exotic Asian Chicken Noodle Salad which delivers a fusion of tastes and textures, soak 4 oz (120g) dried bean thread or rice vermicelli noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes, then rinse under cold water and drain. To make the dressing, mix together 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons each of lime or lemon juice and sweet chili sauce with 1 tablespoon fish sauce in a small bowl until well combined. Place the noodles in a salad bowl with 1 cup of shredded skinless rotisserie chicken breast, 1 carrot (cut into thin strips), ½ red pepper, 2 scallions, 1 cup bean sprouts, ½ cup diced cucumber and 2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh mint and roasted peanuts. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. (You can also replace the chicken with cooked shrimp or squid).
• There are plenty of Italian dishes which feature mint, including Springtime Spaghetti with Shrimp, Zucchini and Mint. Sauté 1 diced zucchini in 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until golden brown. Add 2 cloves finely chopped garlic, ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes and 2 chopped anchovy fillets, and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of white wine and 16 uncooked, peeled shrimp and cook for about 4 minutes, until pink and tender. Meanwhile, cook 7 oz (210g) dried spaghetti according to package directions, drain, then toss with the shrimp-zucchini mixture, together with 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped fresh mint and parsley. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and stir in an extra tablespoon of olive oil at the end. (The same ingredients also make a fantastic risotto).
• Mint adds an unmistakable flavor and aroma to Vietnamese dishes, used alone or in the company of cilantro or basil. It adds a wonderful fresh flavor to Vietnamese Shrimp and Vegetable Rice Paper Rolls, and Vietnamese Baked Fish in which tender fillets of fish are combined with chopped tomatoes, fresh mint and Vietnamese-style seasonings then baked in foil to infuse the flavors. We also use mint to pep up Asian marinades. To make Grilled Scallop Skewers with Vietnamese Flavors dissolve 1 tablespoon sugar in 2 tablespoons water and mix with 1 clove minced garlic, 1 small finely chopped red chili, 2 tablespoons each of lemon juice, fish sauce and rice vinegar, plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint. Marinate uncooked scallops in the mixture, then thread them onto skewers and sear briefly on each side on a hot barbecue or char-grill until tender. (Use shrimp or cubed chicken instead of scallops).
• We love the pungency of fresh mint in aromatic Indian curries, dhals and rice dishes, which we add at the end of cooking to retain its intensity. We also use it raw in simple vegetable side dishes to serve alongside curries. For an easy Tomato, Onion, Ginger and Mint Relish mix together 2 diced tomatoes, ¼ diced red onion, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon caster sugar and 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint until well combined. For a sweet ending to an Indian meal, make an Indian Pineapple and Mint Lassi by blending 2 cups of chopped pineapple (fresh or canned in natural juice) with 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint, 1½ cups cold water, ¾ cup plain Greek-style yogurt, 1 tablespoon sugar and 6 ice cubes until smooth.
• Fresh mint lends itself to Moroccan cuisine, not only in traditional mint tea, but also in salads like Orange, date and mint salad. Peel and cut 3 navel oranges into segments, place on a serving dish (with any juices), and scatter over 4 thinly sliced pitted dates, 2 tablespoons lightly toasted slivered almonds, ½ tablespoon shredded mint and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Another is Moroccan Lentil Salad which is made simply by tossing 1 can of brown lentils, rinsed and drained, with 2 thinly sliced scallions, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint, and salt and pepper to season.
• For a simple meze dish, grill some sliced haloumi cheese and serve with nothing more than a squeeze of lemon juice and a little chopped fresh mint. And fresh mint can also be used in Tzatziki (a traditional Greek cucumber and yogurt and sauce), either as a replacement for dill or combined with it.

Mediterranean Diet Month is now in full swing, and this salad is a great way to bring the taste of the Mediterranean to your table.

We had a nice big serving of it yesterday with some grilled marinated tuna and washed it down with a crisp white wine, and during the meal it felt like we’d been transported to the sunny shores of the Mediterranean.

This salad is absolutely delicious without adding any extra ingredients, but it can easily be varied with the addition of some fresh baby spinach leaves or some arugula (rocket). A handful of toasted pine nuts, or a little crumbled feta also work well with this salad. As does the addition of a few plump black olives.

You can even easily turn this salad into pasta primavera by tossing it with hot pasta and topping with some shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.

Here’s the recipe.

May is Mediterranean Diet Month — a month-long celebration of the pleasures and health benefits of Mediterranean-style eating.

Mediterranean Diet Month was started four years ago by our friends at Oldways Preservation Trust (the respected non-profit organization who helped create the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid in the 1990s in collaboration with Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization), and it’s been celebrated with gusto every year since.

This year is certainly no exception. And as part of the celebrations Oldways will be featuring what they call “A Dietitian a Day” where each day during May thirty-one well-known dietitians will guest post on the Oldways blog and contribute personal stories and tips about the Mediterranean Diet. They’ll also be sharing their favorite Mediterranean recipes such as Salmon Berry Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette, Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach with Chickpeas), Mediterranean Pizza and Olive Oil Cake.

Of course Ric and I will be joining in on the Mediterranean Diet Month celebrations ourselves. We’ll be sharing flavorful and healthful Mediterranean recipes with you on our blog, and on our Facebook page we’ll be sharing links to more delicious Mediterranean recipes, as well as useful resources and lots of other fun and interesting Mediterranean diet stuff.

Care to grab a fork and join us?

In some parts of Italy, such as Venice, they prefer a slightly liquid risotto, where the rice ripples like a wave if the plate is tilted. In other parts of Italy the rice is cooked to a creamier consistency — and that’s the way we prefer it.

A few years ago we discovered that to get perfectly-textured risotto there’s no need to laboriously add stock little by little while constantly stirring. Instead we add all the stock at once, top the pot with a lid and let the combination of simmering and steaming do all the work for us. It’s a completely fool-proof way to cook risotto, and because you don’t have to stand around stirring, you can put your feet up and relax instead!

This week’s recipe is among our favorite no-stir risotto recipes. The sweet pumpkin, creamy cannellini beans, and crunchy walnuts perfectly accent the delicate spinach. And when the Parmesan and fresh basil are mixed in at the end of cooking, some of the edges of the pumpkin break off and disintegrate into the rice, adding a unique and heavenly texture.

And because this risotto includes an abundance of nutrient-rich vegetables, beans, and nuts it not only tastes really good, it’s also really good for you.

Here’s the recipe.

Korma (a mild and creamy Indian curry) is high on our list of ultimate comfort foods. And this korma, without doubt, is the best we’ve ever tasted. Surprisingly, it was also the quickest and easiest korma we’ve ever made — so needless to say there were a lot of ‘high fives’ at our place when we first made it!

Part of the reason the sauce is so easy to make is because we blitz most of the cashews with the coconut milk, a can of tomatoes and a little water in a blender until creamy. Don’t be put off by the pinkish-colored concoction at this stage — as soon as you pour it into the pan with sautéed onion, garlic, ginger and spices, it turns a wonderful hue of nut-brown and thickens to a gravy. We reserve a handful of whole cashews to throw in to the sauce at the end, which add an extra textural treat as you eat.

Although this dish is quite high in calories (so it’s not the sort of meal we would eat every day), much of the creaminess comes from the ground cashew nuts, which are rich in heart-healthy unsaturated fats, along with fiber and many important vitamins and minerals.

In this version, we added shrimp and green beans, which poach gently in the simmering sauce. But this korma is also a terrific base for chicken, fish or scallops, or you can add chickpeas for a vegan version. There are lots of other veggies that also work well instead of the green beans such as mushrooms, spinach, peas, cauliflower, or you could add small chunks of potato, sweet potato or pumpkin.

Here’s the recipe.

Patatas bravas is a Spanish dish of fried potato pieces served with a spicy garlicky tomato sauce. It’s enjoyed as a tapa (appetizer) in tapas bars and homes throughout Spain — usually accompanied with a little wine, sherry or beer and lots of good conversation.

To save on calories, without diminishing the flavor, our version of patatas bravas is made with potatoes that are baked until crisp. Baking the potatoes also leaves us free to make the sauce, which is a simple and delicious mixture of tomatoes, red onion and garlic seasoned with chili, smoked paprika, and a dash of red wine vinegar.

We use authentic Spanish smoked sweet paprika (pictured below), because it adds a unique richness and smokiness to the sauce, but if you can’t get your hands on the real stuff, regular paprika is a reasonable substitute.

To serve patatas bravas, you can either spoon the sauce over the top of the potatoes (like we do), or you can mix the potatoes into the sauce, or you can serve the sauce on the side to dip the potatoes into – it’s up to you. In any case, sprinkle chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley over the top for an appetizing green garnish. And for a fun way to eat it, use toothpicks to skewer the potato pieces.

Although patatas bravas makes a great appetizer, it also works really well as a side dish. We often enjoy it served with grilled marinated tuna and a green salad. Also, as a variation, you can serve the sauce — thinned with a little stock, wine or water — as the base of a Spanish stew together with peppers, potatoes, olives, seafood, chicken or beans.

Here’s the recipe.

With very little prep, using only one pan, and in only around 30 minutes you can have this richly-flavored Middle Eastern rice and lentil pilaf studded with pine nuts and dried apricots on your table.

It’s hearty enough, and nutritionally balanced enough, to become the main dish (ideal if you’re looking to introduce more plant-based meals to your repertoire), but it works equally well as a side dish — especially when it’s paired with grilled or pan-fried chicken or fish. And it not only tastes wonderful hot, it can also be served cold as a rice salad.

The aromatic basmati rice complements the earthy flavor of the brown lentils and the delicate toasted pine nuts. And the dried apricots add just the right amount of sweetness and contrasting texture as well as a burst of vibrant color.

Another thing we really like about this pilaf is it can be varied in so many different ways. The lentils can be replaced with chickpeas or shelled fava beans. You can use pistachios, sliced almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts in place of the pine nuts (or combined with them). Instead of using cilantro as the fresh herb, you can use fresh flat-leaf parsley or mint. And dates, figs, or raisins can replace the dried apricots.

Here’s the recipe.

The Mediterranean diet has been getting a lot of attention lately — and rightly so. I know from personal experience how powerful this way of eating is in terms of positive health benefits. It was a Mediterranean way of eating that helped me fully regain my health after I was almost killed in a motorcycle accident. And soon after I adopted a Mediterranean diet, I stopped suffering from severe migraine headaches that had plagued me since childhood. This way of eating also helped me get in the best shape of my life. And considering all I was doing was eating great food, I really can’t speak highly enough of a Mediterranean way of eating!

But as much as I love the Mediterranean diet, I simply couldn’t imagine only ever eating Mediterranean-style food for the rest of my life — especially after I met Trudy and she introduced me to authentic Asian food. I’ve found that the traditional foods of Asia — including stir-fries, curries, noodle dishes, fried rice, and sushi — captivate my senses just as much as Mediterranean foods. And the great part is that my health has in no way suffered since introducing Asian foods into my Mediterranean diet — far from it.

But that’s not really surprising because the traditional diets of the Mediterranean and Asia share many common characteristics, including a high consumption of plant foods (such as vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes), moderate consumption of fish and poultry, and low consumption of red meat.

In fact, to compare just how similar these diets are, check out this chart:

So although cooking techniques and seasonings may vary, the nutrient profile of traditional Asian diets and Mediterranean diets is very similar. Which, I’m sure, is the reason people from Mediterranean and Asian cultures have traditionally enjoyed the same robust good health and long lives.

Here’s a mouthwatering pasta dish inspired by the famous Provençal salad, Salade Niçoise. It contains all the main ingredients of this classic salad – with the usual tuna, tomatoes, green beans, black olives and eggs – but this time it’s served hot with pasta.

Also, instead of the customary hard-boiled eggs, each serving is topped with a soft-boiled egg, with the yolk still lovely and gooey inside. The idea is to mix the soft creamy egg together with the pasta before eating, adding an extra unctuous quality to the dish. In fact it’s not too dissimilar to the way Italians use eggs to make a carbonara sauce, except they use the heat of the pasta to cook beaten eggs.

This dish also works equally well with soft-poached eggs on top instead of the soft-boiled eggs.

Here’s the recipe.

Long before chilies (a New World food) were introduced to Thailand, pepper was the favored way to add heat and pungency to food. And although chilies have now become an integral part of Thai cuisine, pepper is still used in many Thai dishes.

This vibrantly-flavored Thai stir-fry combines chicken and a selection of colorful vegetables with black pepper, lime, basil and other traditional seasonings. It’s simple to put together, so it makes a great weeknight meal — especially if you’re in the mood for something a bit more exotic.

If you want to make this dish super authentic you can use Thai basil. But we find that regular basil works just as well. There are also a number of other ways you can vary this dish. You can use lemon juice and rind instead of lime (or even fresh lemongrass). Instead of chicken you can use shrimp, scallops, squid, or tofu. Other vegetables that go well with this dish include green beans, bean sprouts, broccoli, canned bamboo shoots, or carrots. And if you want to add some extra crunch, cashews or chopped peanuts are ideal.

We also usually mix this stir-fry with rice noodles, but it tastes just as good served over rice (particularly Thai Jasmine rice).

Here’s the recipe.