Dill-Licious Flavors of Spring!

I was attracted by a display of all things green in the produce section the other day. As my eye wandered over fleshy green mounds of swiss chard and collard greens, my nose caught the pungent and bright aroma of something wonderful and herbaceous. It was dill: Piles of lacey dew-laden bunches of tangy dill beckoning me from three feet. "What would I do with d-" oh screw it. I'm not leaving without some of this stuff.

What to do with Dill
Cucumbers are famously well-paired with dill. So, of course, I made some tzatziki (recipe follows) but, really when you have fresh dill in the house, dill goes with just about anything.

We had some chicken thighs with a side of purple/red potatoes dressed with a little butter, sea salt, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a healthy dose of dill. Fresh dill is very mild yet tangy which makes it great with anything that you would season with lemon such as fish, like salmon.

When it comes to wine pairings, I don't think you have to be timid. We aren't talking about pickles here. I think most whites would do. Why not try an Alsace Riesling such as Domaine Zind-Humbrecht? The brightness of the wine and the dill play off eachother and heighten the citrus notes of orange in the wine and the green notes in the dill. So go ahead: Dill out!


2005 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
Alsace Riesling
Aromas: apple, butter, vanilla, lychee
Flavors: citrus, sweet apple, mineral

Tzatziki
1/2 C of good Greek Yogurt (if you have to use sub-par greek yogurt, you're going to want to drain it in cheese cloth overnight to get rid of the excess moisture)
about 1/2 a cucumber grated (drained on paper towel for 1-2 hours)
1-2 cloves of roasted garlic, minced
dash of ground thyme
pinch of sea salt
1.5 T fresh finely chopped dill
1/2 t olive oil
serves: 2-3