The usual accompaniment to roast lamb.

We have been lucky to have lots of mint growing in our yard alongside the little stream which heads downhill on its way to the river. If you do not have it taking over your yard, you may be able to find it in the grocery store with other fresh herbs. Our favorite mint sauce is adapted from an old edition of The Joy of Cooking. If you prefer to use some other vinegar, double click here on Mint Sauce using Sherry Vinegar to see a similar sauce made with that alternate flavored vinegar.

MINT SAUCE

Heat:

3 tablespoons water

Dissolve in it:

1 ½ tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Cool the syrup and add:

1/3 to ½ cup finely chopped mint leaves

½ cup malt vinegar (using malt vinegar is critical to “English” taste)

This is best made ½ hour before serving.

Makes about 1 cup.

Mint Sauce using Sherry Vinegar *a blender recipe*

If you do not have malt vinegar on hand, you can make a good mint sauce with Sherry Vinegar.
Also feel free to increase the amount of mint leaves as is done in the following recipe, but the traditional sauce is NOT thick with leaves. This would, of course, deemphasize the flavor of vinegar, which tends to be very dominant in the malt-vinegar version.

MINT SAUCE

½ cup water
½ cup sherry vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups fresh mint

To make mint sauce, combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan with ⅓ cup water and a pinch of salt.
Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 seconds longer.
Cool for a few minutes, then place in a blender with mint; blend until smooth.
Keep at room temperature until ready to serve (or refrigerate overnight and return to room temperature before serving).

*Note for the un-blender-burdened kitchen -- Of course, if you do not have a blender, just prepare per directions for Mint Sauce using Malt Vinegar. Blender helps with the increased quantity of mint leaves specified in this recipe, but just decrease that amount somewhat, or pass final product through a sieve, serving final sauce with just a small amount of the mint leaves floating in it.

You can find this and related recipes by tapping here on the Home Cookin' index.

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