Fresh mint stars in bulgur, pea, and noodle spring recipes

Boston Globe

6 days ago

Toasted Bulgur With Tomato and Mint
Makes 4 servings
The Armenian bulgur salad called eetch is reminiscent of tabbouleh, but it's grain-centric rather than herb-forward. It inspired this tomatoey bulgur side. We build flavor into the dish in a couple of ways.
We toast the bulgur—make sure to use coarse bulgur, not fine—to accentuate its sweet, wheaty notes. Then we brown the tomato paste for deeper color and greater flavor intensity.
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To make this more substantial, we like to stir blanched green beans into the finished bulgur and finish it with any or all of the optional garnishes.
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1½ cups coarse bulgur
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper or
2 medium wax peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or sweet paprika
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¾ cup lightly packed fresh mint or fresh flat-leaf parsley or a combination, finely chopped
Optional garnish:
Pomegranate molasses, or finely chopped walnuts, or crumbled feta cheese, or a combination
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, toast the bulgur, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
In the same pan now set over medium-high heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the bell pepper, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and Aleppo pepper, then cook, stirring, until the paste browns and slightly sticks to the pan, 1 to 3 minutes. Stir in the bulgur, then add 2¼ cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce to medium-low, and cook without stirring until the bulgur has absorbed the liquid, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Transfer the bulgur mixture to a wide, shallow bowl and cool until warm, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mint, then taste and season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with the molasses, walnuts, and/or feta, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Charred Snap Peas With Radishes, Mint, and Lemon
Joe Murphy
Charred Snap Peas With Radishes, Mint, and Lemon
Makes 4 servings
Peas and mint are a classic combination. In a recipe from their book
Bestia: Italian Recipes Created in the Heart of L.A,
Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis, chef/owners of Bestia restaurant in Los Angeles, opt for sweet, crisp sugar snap peas instead of English peas, and they cook them quickly in a hot skillet before finishing them with a generous amount of fresh mint. We do the same, but also add sliced radishes for peppery notes and vibrant color, as well as a dose of lemon juice to perk up the flavors. This is a perfect side for just about any type of grilled or roasted meat or fish.
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Don't forget to remove the fibrous string,
if present, from the snap peas. Stringless varieties of snap peas need only to have their stem ends trimmed.
1 tablespoon grape-seed or other neutral oil
3 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed, if present
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced into rounds
½ cup lightly packed fresh mint, torn, divided
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Flaky sea salt, to serve (optional)
In a 12-inch cast-iron or other heavyweight skillet
set over medium-high heat,
combine the oil and garlic. Cook, occasionally turning the garlic, until the cloves are golden brown and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the snap peas and a pinch each of salt and pepper; cook, stirring often, until the peas are charred in spots, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Remove and discard the garlic, then stir in the radishes, half of the mint, and the lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish, then sprinkle with the lemon zest, remaining mint, and flaky salt (if using).
Cambodian-Style Rice Noodle Salad With Shrimp, Cucumber, and Herbs
Connie Miller
Cambodian-Style Rice Noodle Salad With Shrimp, Cucumber and Herbs
Makes 4 to 6 servings
This noodle salad is a version of one we tasted in Cambodia. Vegetables, herbs, and chopped peanuts add tons of color and texture to tender rice vermicelli noodles. We like the salad best with a combination of cilantro, mint, and basil, but it's still delicious made with only one herb. And if you like, omit the shrimp or substitute 2 cups shredded cooked chicken.
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Cambodia is famous for its Kampot pepper—here we use a generous measure of ground black pepper plus a fresh chili to add multilayered spiciness to the savory-sweet dressing.
Don't bypass the step of rinsing the noodles; it prevents them from sticking together and overcooking. It also cools them down quickly for the salad. If your noodles are long, use scissors to cut them down to a manageable size.
8 ounces rice vermicelli
1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced into half moons
1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped
6 tablespoons lime juice
1 Fresno or Thai chili, stemmed, seeded, and minced
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 pound cooked shrimp, roughly chopped
1½ cups chopped fresh cilantro, mint, and/or basil
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander, then rinse under running cold water, tossing, until fully cooled. Drain again. Use kitchen shears to snip the noodles in several places to cut them into shorter lengths. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
In the colander, toss the cucumber and shallot with 1 teaspoon salt. Let drain in the sink for about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the peanuts, lime juice, chili, fish sauce, sugar, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Add the cucumber-shallot mixture, shrimp, and cilantro to the bowl with the noodles. Add the dressing and toss well.
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Christopher Kimball is the founder of Milk Street, home to a magazine, school, and radio and television shows. Globe readers get 12 weeks of complete digital access, plus two issues of Milk Street print magazine, for just $1. Go to 177milkstreet.com/globe. Send comments to