Category: Dill
Chilled Cucumber Soup
This takes 7 minutes to whizz together plus a couple of hours in the fridge (ideally). It's a great way to work through cucumbers and a flavorful, cool summer dish.
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Pasta with Spinach Tahini Sauce & Herbs
This simple, vibrant dish is filling and would make a great template to add any herbs and cooked or raw veg to.
Serves 4-6 ... Read more »
Random Greenery Green Sauce
I have a number of green sauces here as well as a classic Italian salsa verde. This is a template for whatever bits of greenery you need using up. It turns sad, partial bunches of greens into something rather vibrant and versatile, extending the life of the greens. In addition to the greens below, you can use sorrel, cilantro, a little arugula (a lot makes it a bit too strong), nettles (blanched), garlic scapes, tender turnip greens, a little bit of green onion tops, and mint.
[caption id="attachment_18208" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Left to right: green garlic, mizuna (stems mostly), tarragon, dill, parsley, radish tops.[/caption]
Make however much or little you want. You'll need to taste and adjust ratios as you go. The whole point of this is to make it work for what you have so don't sweat the details. It should have a little garlicky punch and enough acidity to brighten but not overpower. Different greens and in different combinations will result in different tastes.
Use it:
On toasted bread with chèvre and beets (pictured above) or other cheese with cooked or raw veg
On any kind of sandwich
Stirred into scrambled eggs or topping hard-boiled, poached or fried eggs
With grilled meat or fish
With roast chicken
With a little mayo or Greek yogurt for chicken or egg salad
On rice or other cooked grains or beans
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Rice and Herb Patties
Using up random bits of things (and freeing up fridge space) AND making something delicious with said bits is one of my greatest pleasures. These quick rice patties came about one Saturday when we returned, very hungry, from a soccer game. And this template of a recipe is yet another reason to cook more rice than you think you'll need so that you can make these on the fly a day or two later.
You can make these with nothing but leftover rice, a couple of eggs, and a few herbs or spices but there are so many options! And ratios and quantities are totally up to you and what you're needing to use up. This batch included about 2 tablespoons of leftover Green Sauce (the simplified version w/out egg). Just be sure to add more eggs and/or cheese if you increase the amount of rice so that the patties stick together.... Read more »
Rye, Chickpea and Vegetable Salad with Dill (or Barley, Farro or Wheat)
This is a bright, hearty salad with plenty of crunch. It keeps well, making it a good lunch-box or potluck candidate.
Whole grains like this take a while to cook, about an hour if you haven’t soaked them (which I often forget to do). But they keep well, so cook a big pot at the beginning of the week and use it in a variety of ways.... Read more »
Fresh Herb, Radish and Carrot Salad (with Steak)
This bright, crunchy salad (template) can be rounded out with crumbled feta, if you'd like. It pairs beautifully with medium-rare steaks. Alternatively serve it with 7-minute eggs (eggs covered with cold water, brought to a boil and simmered for 7 minutes then drained), beans or grains, grilled tofu, etc.
Use whatever tender herb you have or like. Cilantro, parsley, mint, chives, chervil or basil would all be great--or mix and match any of these. You could also just use radishes or turnips. Make it work for you!
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Lentil Salad with Asparagus, Salad Turnips/Radishes and Dill
This is a typical spring cook-with-what-you-have dish. The lentils offer some substance and soak up the strong flavors nicely.
Variations:
Substitute chickpeas, beans quinoa, or even rice for the lentils.
Play with the vegetable combinations, as well. The steamed asparagus and raw salad turnips were a nice combo here. And the optional quick-pickled onions to balance out the sweetness of the vegetables and lentils.
In place of the salad turnips you could use 4-5 radishes.
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Beet & Walnut Dip with Dill, Cilantro and Feta
This dip is a riff on this one and is also inspired by Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sam Tamimi, but employs the nuts in the dip instead of as a garnish and adds lots of fresh herbs to give it its own place in the collection. Use toasted bread to dip or dollop on hardboiled eggs or spread on a sandwich or in a wrap or eat it by the spoonful or serve it as a side with meat or fish.
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Corn, Bean and Bread Salad with Roasted Pepper Dressing
In late summer I often roast and process peppers of various kinds together with a few tomatillos into a flavorful sauce. I thinned out this sauce to make a dressing for this template of a salad. Feel free to use a typical vinaigrette instead and feel free to change up the beans, vegetables, to suit your needs. You could by all means add bacon too!... Read more »
Fragrant Rice with Lemon, Dill, Peppers and Carrots
[caption id="attachment_14077" align="aligncenter" width="628"] Served with meatballs loaded with cilantro and dill and dill aioli.[/caption]
This feels like an elegant dish thanks to the lemon and dill but is very simple and suitable to a variety of vegetables. Any combination of sweet and hot peppers would be good.
Variation
You could add diced summer squash, or greens beans, or fava beans, or peas or fennel
Instead of water, you can liven up the dish by using vegetable broth or veggie bouillon.
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Fresh Herb Frittata
In the spring when tender herbs are abundant this is one of my favorite things to make. This is particularly quick because there's no need to saute anything first, just fresh herbs, eggs and salt. And leftovers make a delicious sandwich filling!... Read more »
Stewed Potatoes and Greens with Dill Yogurt Sauce
If you have good stock on hand use it for this simple dish. And if you don't, still make it but don't be shy with the butter or olive oil to finish. The greens need to be quick-cooking and more tender than kale typically is, for this to come together well. The goal is to get a silky, moist dish but not a soupy one.
Here I served it over red lentils that I cooked with a few pinches of cumin seeds and finished with salt and olive oil.
Variations
A good stock can be made from chicken, mushroom, veg, pork, or beef. You can also use broth or water for the base liquid in this recipe.
Spinach, young, tender collard greens, beet greens or turnip greens are good here.
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Savory Bread Pudding with Lots of Herbs
You can assemble this in minutes as there's no cooking ingredients separately. It takes about 30 minutes to bake, can be assembled in the morning, then popped in the oven when you walk in the door in the evening. It depends on fresh herbs for its fragrance and flavor. This is a great way to use up old bread.... Read more »
Escarole Salad with Winter Squash, Dill and Celery
Another cook-with-what-you-have salad that came about one late fall day. I love the combination of cooked/roasted and raw vegetables and if you can serve this right away when the squash is still warm it's particularly good. Vary this with other seeds or nuts and different herbs to suit your needs/taste. And if your celery has leaves attached, by all means add a handful or two of those.
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Lentil Salad with Dill Yogurt Dressing
This is a bright and robust dish that would be delicious with salmon or hardboiled eggs and good bread or just as a side for most anything.... Read more »
Beet "Tzatziki"
Dill, garlic, and nice creamy yogurt combined with yogurt makes Tzatziki, above left. Substitute cooked beets for the cucumbers and you get a fuchsia-colored version that's rich and earthy yet bright.
This cool, creamy dip/dressing is delicious on any kind of cracker, bread or toast. It's nice with boiled or roasted potatoes and hard cooked eggs. It's lovely as a part of an appetizer spread or a meal made of many little things.... Read more »
Green Bean, Egg and Dill Salad with Toasted Bread
This is a variation of an egg salad crossed with panzanella--the Tuscan bread salad. It's really nice combination for a summer lunch or supper. Feel free to add shelling peas, add other herbs, skip the bread dice and serve it on toast in stead or omit bread entirely.
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Zucchini and Orzo Salad with Dill and Coriander
This is a simple, fresh and easily adaptable salad. I really like the combination of dill and summer squash and a little carrot with the tangy vinaigrette. The toasted and roughly ground coriander seeds are a very nice addition. You can also easily scale this up or down and vary the ratio of orzo to vegetables to suit your taste/needs.
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Cucumber, Melon and Dill Salad with Sweet Onions
This is a delicious combination of two fruits in the same family. It's the same salad as this one with the addition of the sweet melon.
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Black Radish and Celery Root Salad
I'm always on the lookout for ideas for black radishes, this crunchy, nutritious winter time CSA and market staple in the Northwest. This salad/slaw/remoulade fits the bill. It keeps well and is a fresh, robust accompaniment to many heavier winter dishes. I happened to have a purple radish that I tossed in the mix which made it extra beautiful. And if you don't have dill, use parsley or chives or a combination.
This makes a light supper accompanied by what we call cheesy toast. Good, crusty bread toasted and then topped with sharp cheddar or gruyere and a few lightly pickled onions and broiled until bubbly and browning.
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