The Dill Project: What are your favorite uses for the various forms of this wonderful herb and spice?

Question

I know a happy young burgeoning cook whose nickname is "Dill", and I thought it would be fun to assemble a whole bunch of techniques and recipes that he can build into some lifelong "signature" dishes. He likes the flavor.

Dill is also a personal favorite of mine, and I'm hoping for input of ideas on its various forms: fresh herb, dried herb, ground seed, whole seed, and sprouted. It would be neat if folks specify which of those forms they are using in the various dishes.

I use both herb (dried or fresh) and seed (coarse or fine ground) in the major mayo-based salads: tuna, chicken, egg, and potato.

I've seen dill seed in Indian grocers. There must be a whole group of dishes in that cuisine that I'm not aware of. Goes the same for my ignorance of northern European dill dishes.

Looking forward to your input. My goal is to provide him with an overall manual, a series of links, and a few bags of dried dill weed and seed to get him started.

Answer

Does your friend Dill hang around with Scout and Jem? Just checking...anyway, here's my kosher dill pickles:

http://motherskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/08/kosher-dill-pickles.html

Answer

I add dill to spaetzle when I'm serving it with fish.

Answer

I use dill, fresh weed, whole and ground seed for lots of things: in salmon, poached, cakes, grilled and cured with lemon and white wine, in compound butters for any fish, in sauces like white sauce and butter sauces for seafood, in court bouillon, for seafood, breads and bread sticks, savory scones and bisquits with cheese, croutons, all kinds of pickles, including my favorite half sours, dressing for salads and dips, as a flavoring with cheese spreads, sauerkraut soup with pork, egg dishes like quiche with seafood and deviled eggs, for all kinds of vegetables dishes, like radishes with butter dill and a little red wine vinegar and marinated cucumbers with creme fraiche, in Greek vegetable dishes with peppers, eggplant and tomatoes, with rice, spinach and feta (recipe below,) soups like potato, cold cucumber and seafood chowders. The seed is good ground as a salt substitute, used in rubs for fish, lamb and even beef, and use the flowering heads with the seeds for making beautiful flavored vinegars and oils.

The seeds brewed for tea are good to soothe an upset stomach or to expell gas. A mild tea made from the seeds can be used for colic in infants. The seeds, taken with white wine, clean the palate and freshen the breath, or so thought the Greeks.

From my recipe file:
Spinach and Rice with Dill (Spanakorizo)
■1/3 cup good flavored olive oil
■2 onions, diced
■2 pounds fresh spinach, washed, dried and destemmed
■1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, or homemade sauce
■2 cups water or vegetable stock, or sub 1/2 cup white wine
■1 tablespoon fresh dill weed or more, to taste, minced
■1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
■to taste, salt and pepper
■1/2 cup uncooked white rice
■Feta cheese, crumbled, optional garnish
■freshly squeezed lemon juice, optional garnish
Sprinkle some crumbled Feta cheese and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the dish after it's cooked. 

Serves 4 

Preparation Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions in the oil until soft and translucent. 

Add spinach, and cook stirring for a few minutes. Then, pour in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil, and season with parsley, dill, salt and pepper. 

Stir in rice, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes (or until rice is tender). Add more water or stock if necessary. Can be baked in the oven, like a pilaf.

I used to work with a chef who told me he hated dill. What's to hate? 

Hee's a link with many, many recipes for dill:
http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blherb5.htm

Answer

I love this recipe from Epicurious for Mushroom Barley soup with dill....

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mushroom-Barley-Soup-993

And this one for Spring Green Salad...

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spring-Green-Salad-1653

Answer

I love, love, love this recipe for sweet and sour cucumbers with fresh dill, though it is quite summery and not really top of mind since we just had a blizzard in NY! I add some thinly sliced red onion and it is delicious.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sweet-and-Sour-Cucumbers-with-Fresh-Dill-109713

Answer

it's great in tuna or chicken salad.

also a great addition to potato chowder.

add to potato salad with red potatoes and hard-boiled eggs.

make dill butter to use on toast or carrots and potatoes
-you can also do carrots with butter, brown sugar and dill... great combo.

mix mayo, sour cream, garlic powder, lemon juice and dill to make a sauce for fish.

Assyrian Cheese Spread
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jagic-Assyrian-Cheese-Spread/Detail.aspx

Cucumber, Tomato and Onion salad
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crispy-Cucumbers-and-Tomatoes-in-Dill-Dressing/Detail.aspx

Answer

Perhaps you could include a recipe for Vietnamese cha ca (like so: http://missadventureathome.blogspot.com/2008/11/moms-recipes-ch-c-white-fish-with-dill.html OR http://www.vietnamese-recipes.com/vietnamese-recipes/seafood/hanoi-fried-fish.php).

Or Chinese dill dumplings: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/beef_and_dill_dumpling_filling.php (I've only had dill/pork fillings, never beef, but this recipe looks credible.)

In Indian cuisine, I've only had dill in a north Indian dals, but a quick Google search indicates that it shows up in roti and other flatbreads, too, and in dry curries used as a vegetable.

And it does alright in a pesto.

(Another similar thread here for additional ideas: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/279035)

Answer

Stuffed Marrow (Summer Squash) with Dill Sauce

2 marrows, 400 g/14 oz ground lean pork, 1 small cooking onion, 2 tbs rice, 1 egg, 2 bunches fresh dill, 200 ml/1 third pint sour cream, 50 g/2 oz butter, 1 tbs flour, juice and grated peel of half a lemon, 1 tbsp vinegar, salt

Peel the marrows, cut off the ends and scoop out the seeds. Blanch for 5 minutes in salted water with a little vinegar then drain. Parboil the rice and leave to cool. Brown the minced pork and chopped onion in half the butter, stirring now and then. Mix together the meat, rice and an egg. Stuff the marrows with this mixture. Lay in a greased fireproof dish.

Fry the chopped dill in the rest of the butter, then add 100 ml/2 and half fl oz water, salt and lemon peel and bring to the boil. Bubble for 10 minutes then thicken with flour and cream mixed together. Add the lemon juice and bring back to the boil. Pour the sauce over the marrows and bake in a moderate oven (180C/350F) for about 20 minutes or until tender.

Use smaller young marrows rather than the large ones. No reason why this wouldn't work with zucchini either. Sometimes we bake fish using the same sauce.

Answer

I make a gravy with buttermilk, dill and paprika. It's great with meatballs, and would probably be good with seafood, too.

Answer

dried or fresh, I love dill in a salad.

recently did some roasted potatoes, then tossed in at the end - fresh dill and blue cheese crumbles - yum!!!!

dill (fresh) cream cheese is excellent with smoked salmon.

Answer

Cucumbers cry out for dill -- whether in pickles or a sliced salad with onions and sour cream.

Potatoes marry well with dill hot or cold.

I make a sauce for smoked salmon that involves whipping some (un-sweetened) heavy cream and folding in dill and horseradish, salt and pepper and it's great.

Answer

A little fresh dill added to a pot of potato soup is sublime.

Answer

French bread.......Butter, garlic & dill weed....

Enjoy!

Answer

There's a terrific recipe in Joy of Cooking for an easy dill caserole bread. It's so good as an accompanyment to soup, but I like it most for canapes, especially with salmon. Last week we swapped out 3/4 c of the white flour for rye, and had it with gravlax - sensational!

Answer

In chicken soup -- with the carrot, celery, and onion while it's simmering

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I use dried dill when I make potato salad. I also use it when I cook Brussels Sprouts. I seem to think that pork and dill are good partners.

Answer

I've made a tasty salad (based on a Cooking Light recipe, I think?), of chick peas, fennel, watercress, thinly sliced red onion, and large boiled shrimp (hot or cold- both are good) with a little bit of dressing of sour cream, a little mayo, lemon, garlic, and a bunch of fresh dill and black pepper.

Answer

Turkish rice dish:

Wash, soak, and drain 1 cup arborio rice. 3/4 pound eggplant - dice and deep fry until golden and drain on paper towel. Saute 1 large diced onion in some olive oil with 2 tbls. pine nuts until golden add 1 peeled and chopped tomato, 1/2 tsp. ground allspice, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. sugar - cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in drained rice and cook, stirring 3 minutes. Add 1.3/4 cups stock or water, the fried eggplant and finally 1/2 cup chopped dill - stir gently, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered for another 20 minutes. Stir gently and garnish with chopped fresh dill.

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The Dill Project: What are your favorite uses for the various forms of this wonderful herb and spice?

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