Mint is one of the best-known and most used herbs in Italian cooking. There are many wild and cultivated varieties. All have powerful and refreshing perfumes, and are consequently used for their individual flavours in different dishes. We like to include mints such as ginger mint, lemon mint, apple mint and peppermint in herb salads, but it is normally spearmint that we use in risottos, soups and sauces.
Nepitella or wild mint is a favourite for flavour. This grows everywhere in central and northern Italy, and it is gathered in bunches, strung up and dried. Its strong flavour is a cross between mint and oregano, and it is traditionally used when cooking fresh porcini mushrooms. We also use nepitella as a sweet complement to artichokes.
Although mint grows throughout the year, the plants become dormant in the winter, and the first young, fragrant and tender leaves in the early spring are particularly good. The flavour is delicate and the texture fine. Mint leaves taste better before the plants start to flower. Use the smaller leaves from the top of the stems.
We use mint nearly every day in the kitchen. In the winter months, only mint and parsley are used in a salsa verde, and that same mint, parsley and garlic combination is used for stuffing artichokes. We put whole branches of mint into the water when cooking peas and broad beans.