Dill recipes?

May 16, 2008 10:39 AM

We have LOTS of dill coming up. Can anyone provide any not-too-difficult recipes to take advantage of this situation?

I'm especially looking for some sort of dill cream sauce to serve with fettucini but all ideas are appreciated.

posted by Morrigan to food & drink (28 comments total)

Cucumber Soup, heavy on the dill. Perfect spring, summer recipe.
posted by nitsuj at 10:43 AM on May 16

Mixing it in your potato salad is very tasty.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 10:46 AM on May 16

My favourite way to use dill is to add a good 1/3 cup chopped to a big green salad. Then, make a mayo-based salad dressing to go on top (1/2 cup mayo, 1/3 cup white wine vinegar, 2tsp curry powder). Yum!

Dill is also yummy in borscht, too. I'm just saying.
posted by LN at 10:47 AM on May 16

Throw chopped handfuls into your favorite potato chowder.

Place some butter, lemon, dill, salt & pepper on some salmon fillets and oven roast.
posted by gnutron at 10:51 AM on May 16

make gravlax at home. It uses handfuls of herb, and really fresh dill makes a big difference.
posted by peachfuzz at 10:54 AM on May 16 [1 favorite]

You want it with cream sauce for fettucini, just add it to a standard white cream sauce. On a slightly different tack, it freezes well if you just wash and spin dry it and stick it in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Then just crumble off any amount you want for cooking over the winter or later in the summer. Dill only grows well for a while before it gets hot and the plant goes to seed, so you won't always have this supply.
posted by Listener at 10:54 AM on May 16

There are any number of pickle recipes you can try; pickled green beans made with fresh dill are one I like. Perhaps a bit easier and also good for using up a lot of dill is gravlax.
posted by TedW at 10:56 AM on May 16

Plain (not vanilla) yogurt: Add a DON of dill, a little salt and pepper. Instant best-dip-you've-ever-had.
posted by ImJustRick at 11:04 AM on May 16

Grrr. You know I meant TON.
posted by ImJustRick at 11:04 AM on May 16

Cucumber salad - sliced cucumbers, dill, a pinch of sugar and a couple tablespoons of vinegar. Goes good with garden cucumbers.
posted by GuyZero at 11:05 AM on May 16

just riffing on Rick's theme I take his but also add garlic and a small dice of cucumbers and add on to some grilled chicken on pita bread for a greek delight!
posted by bitdamaged at 11:05 AM on May 16

Of course gravlax.

I use it in vinaigrette.

I also add it to my chicken soup towards the end of cooking.

I make dill sauce regularly - yogurt + lemon juice + beau monde seasoning + kosher salt + black (or white) pepper + garlic. Serve the dill sauce with red potatoes and salmon.

Or, make the above sauce (using half-sour cream half-yogurt if desired). Then get a big round loaf of pumpernickel. Tear out the inside into bite-size pieces, leaving a bread bowl. Fill the bowl with the sauce. Serve torn-up pieces on the side.
posted by charlesv at 11:09 AM on May 16

Egg salad!

Cucumber soup is also good, but I don't see the point in cooking it before chilling it, as in the above recipe. I'd search around for a cold recipe.
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:22 AM on May 16

If you'd like to try something different that will also use up a large quantity of dill at once try it in an Indian curry. The Indian name for dill is suva bhaji and it's used quite commonly in India in this form. Here is a recipe for it that I found when googling. It calls for toor dal (yellow pigeon peas) -- a kind of lentil that you should find at Indian stores. The pickle spice mentioned is a little puzzling too but I think you could probably omit that with no ill effects. Give it a try and see what you think.
posted by peacheater at 11:23 AM on May 16 [1 favorite]

Shrimp salad! Cook some shrimp. Add in mayo, a bit of nice dijon, onion, celery, s & p and, of course, loads of fresh dill. Great summer dinner over salad.
posted by theantikitty at 11:26 AM on May 16

Dill pesto (lifted from GardenWeb); terrific on barbequed fish :

2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 cups parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill leaves
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice

In a blender, blend the garlic and lemon rind until minced. Add parsley and dill. Blend until finely chopped, scraping down the sides of container as needed. Then, with blender running, slowly add the oil and blend to a smooth paste. Blend in the lemon juice. Spoon into serving dishes. Use as a dip for carrot or celery sticks if desired. May be frozen.
posted by vers at 11:27 AM on May 16

Sauted Dill as a side dish.

Dill
Butter
Salt and Pepper.

Heat butter, saute dill, salt and pepper to taste.
posted by bdc34 at 11:40 AM on May 16

Also deviled eggs, egg & olive salad.
posted by charlesv at 11:44 AM on May 16

When you get sick of all of these [fabulous] recipes, you could dry a bunch. Dill dries really well.

Here's what I do: Tie a bunch together at the stems with a foot or so of cotton twine.

Using a brown paper grocery bag with handles, tie the bunch of dill to the handles, then roll over the top of the bag so that the handles are inside, the bag is somewhat sealed, and the dill is suspended a couple of inches above the bottom of the bag. Cut a couple of small holes in the bag so that air can circulate. Let it sit for a few weeks.

May sound like a kooky method, but it solves a couple problems. First, keeps dirt and dust (and cat hair) away from the herbs. Second, since it's suspended, it dries evenly. If the herbs touch a surface while they're drying, they could lose essential oils or get moldy.

When it's dry, store it in an airtight jar.
posted by mudpuppie at 12:56 PM on May 16 [1 favorite]

Potato-Leek soup! My fave. It's really as simple as the name. Chopped onions, leeks and garlic first in olive oil and butter until sweated. Add liquid, salt, pepper and fresh dill (a tablespoon or more depending on volume and more to taste of you like) and there you go. Cook until done. Put it through a food processor if you like it smooth or enjoy it chunky!

Also, you can dry the dill and then store it in the freezer darn near indefinately.
posted by elendil71 at 12:58 PM on May 16

I love chopped fresh dill in tuna fish.
posted by spasm at 1:01 PM on May 16

Unsurprisingly, making dill pickles requires a lot of dill, so if you like dill pickles, you could make some.
posted by jedicus at 1:21 PM on May 16

Dill is wonderful in tzatziki. In Greek yogurt (preferably Fage), add minced garlic and cucumber, olive oil, vinegar, and dill. Eat using warm pita bread as a scoop.
posted by evariste at 2:33 PM on May 16

If you can't find Greek yogurt, drain regular yogurt in a cheesecloth in your sink for a few hours.
posted by evariste at 2:33 PM on May 16

I like Bagali Shevid Polow -- I might be spelling that wrong. Steamed rice, lima beans, dill and butter. I can't wait for the dill in my CSA so I can make some of this!
posted by sugarfish at 5:04 PM on May 16

If you'd eat it - deviled ham on toast with fresh dill on top. One of my Mom's favorite snacks.
posted by belau at 7:05 PM on May 16

My favorite seafood chowder calls for a ton of dill.

Note: this is from an Irish chef, so "chowder" means "mix of stuff" rather than "puddingy-textured soup." The broth in this is fairly thin. If you want it thicker, boil and puree a potato and mix that into the broth mixture.

Mix about 2 cups broth with 2 cups cream. Set aside, keep warm.
Saute till soft:
4-5 shallots
2 cloves garlic, pureed
Add in order and saute each for like one minute:
cubed salmon
mussels/shellfish
shrimp
cubed scallops
Pour the cream/broth mixture over the top and stir in a TON of chopped fresh dill. Remove any shellfish that haven't opened.
Salt and pepper to taste.

It's surprising how the dill really doesn't take over the soup; I used an entire bunch last time and it was still too wimpy for me! I think because the seafood itself has such a strong flavor.
posted by GardenGal at 8:50 PM on May 16 [1 favorite]

David Lebovitz just put up a recipe for homemade dill pickles on his blog.
posted by peacheater at 9:58 AM on May 17