Move Over Basil. Mint and Feta Are the New Flavor Essentials of Summer

When the first of the summer vegetable and fruit crops start to ripen, simple preparations are all that are wanted. A ripe peach or watermelon eaten by hand with their juices dripping down chins and hands is just perfect. So is corn on the cob, steamed or boiled, with butter and salt. Or fresh zucchini sautéed in olive oil and garlic.

But by mid-summer most of us have had our fill of simple preparations and something new is required. I used to rely on basil as my go-to herb to enhance flavor in the summer, but more and more I turn to cool, fresh mint and its salty counterpart, feta cheese, to get me through the hottest days.

Call it our love affair with Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine (thanks Ottolenghi), or just a need to move on from pesto (which Nora Ephron once wrote was “the quiche of the eighties”), fresh mint and feta cheese have been showing up in many summer recipes of late.

Over the past several years I have come across at least one new recipe each summer using the combination. By now we are all familiar with watermelon, tomato, feta, and mint salads. Last year I started making a kind of thick sauce of feta, olive oil lemon, and chopped mint to dot on grilled planks of zucchini and red peppers. This year, I came across a simple salad of corn, cherry tomatoes, scallions, and—you guessed it—mint and feta cheese.

My Kitchen Epiphany

Suddenly I had a kitchen epiphany. I could use feta cheese and mint with just about anything and turn a plain dish into something company-worthy. The signs were all there: the container of mint on my patio that I have been growing for years (my nod to Ottolenghi), the feta cheese I seem to always keep in my fridge during the summer for the Greek salads I love to eat for lunch and the growing stash of recipes using mint and feta.

I’m calling this My Summer of Mint and Feta. Here are some simple preparations to get you started.

But first, I prefer French feta. It is a bit creamier and less briny than its Greek cousin, but that is just my preference. The beauty of these preparations is that they work to your taste. Nothing is written in stone—I am giving you loosely written recipes so you can adapt the quantity and taste to your liking.

Watermelon, Tomato, Feta and Mint Salad

I have a long list of dishes I feel compelled to make every summer. Let’s call them Taste of Summer Dishes. Watermelon, tomato, feta and mint salad is one of them. I know, this salad is ubiquitous, but it never gets old. Especially if you have access to good home-grown or farm-raised tomatoes and watermelon. I would feel cheated if I didn’t eat this salad at least once during the summer.

Use equal amounts of large-diced tomato and watermelon. A few thin slices of red onion, pitted Kalamata olives, halved, a sliced, seeded and peeled cucumber or two (depending on the quantity), a sprinkling of feta cheese, chopped mint and a light drizzling of good olive oil and sherry wine vinegar. Combine the watermelon, tomatoes, cucumber and onion, olive oil and vinegar. Toss them gently and serve on individual plates sprinkled with the crumbled feta, mint and olives. (Salt and fresh ground pepper if desired.)

Corn Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Feta and Mint

During corn season, I always cook extra so I can compose a corn salad with the leftovers. I used to make one that was inspired by Southwestern cooking, using black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and lime. This year, I’m going Mediterranean with corn, cherry tomatoes, a few chopped scallions, chopped mint and crumbled French feta. Just use a drizzle of good olive oil and some freshly ground pepper and you’re done. It is so refreshing. Add some grilled or roasted shrimp and call it supper.

Grilled Zucchini with a Topping of Mint, Feta, Lemon, and Olive Oil

This topping will turn ordinary grilled vegetables into something that will make your guests think you are a cooking genius. And yet, it is so simple. Again, I am not giving strict amounts here—what you are aiming for is a thick sauce that is just dabbed onto a platter of grilled vegetables.

Combine 3 or 4 tablespoons good olive oil, a couple tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese, some chopped scallions, a couple tablespoons chopped mint (you could also combine with parsley), a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon or so of lemon zest. If you want a looser sauce, try adding some plain Greek yogurt. This sauce goes with just about any grilled vegetable you can think of as well as grilled lamb or chicken. (See what I mean about mint and feta being versatile?)

Even More Ideas for Using Mint and Feta

Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be thinking of many more uses for your mint and feta. For example, add them to a salad of chickpeas and sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes, try it with a salsa of grilled peaches or nectarines and serve it with grilled chicken, or use some mint and feta as a garnish for chilled cucumber soup.

Let the Summer of Mint and Feta begin.