Garlic Dill Sweet Potato Wedges

Serves 4-6

3 sweet potatoes
¼ cup duck fat, melted (or other oil such as olive oil, coconut oil, etc.)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon paprika
3-4 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, the cut each half into 4-5 wedges. Place wedges in a bowl, cover with water and add ice, about 2 cups worth. Let wedges sit in ice for 30 minutes. Preheat over to 450 degrees. Remove wedges from water and pat dry. Place wedges back into a large, dry bowl. Add melted fat, garlic powder, salt, and paprika. Toss wedges to coat. Place wedges on a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet to help cook on both sides (if you don’t have a cooling rack, just cook on parchment paper lined baking sheet and flip half way through cooking). Bake wedges for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and browned. After cooked, let cool for 5 minutes then toss wedges in the bowl with fresh dill. I used the same bowl that I had first tossed the wedges in with oil, the oil helps coat the wedges a little more and keep the dill sticking to the wedges.
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Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Kale and Dill

Servings vary
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 leek, cleaned well and chopped (white and light green parts only)
4 or 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
about 4 cups of low fat, low sodium chicken broth
5 large kale or collard leaves, stems removed and sliced (or you can use spinach)
juice of half of a lemon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill 
some basil leaves to taste
Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and leek and saute for 4 or 5 minutes. Add the garlic and a bit of salt and continue cooking for a few more minutes. Add the cauliflower. Add the chicken broth.  Use as much as needed to reach just below the surface of the cauliflower. Don’t add too much, you can always add more later when blending the soup. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Add the greens, lemon juice and dill, then stir and simmer a few minutes longer. Remove from the heat, add the basil and maybe a little more dill and let the soup sit about 5 minutes, so that it can cool slightly. Using an upright blender, blend the soup in batches until smooth, adding more broth (or you can use some water this time), if  it’s too thick. Season with salt and pepper, reheat if needed, and serve.
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Collards with Dill and Parsley

4 servings
1 bunch collard greens
1 cup fresh chopped dill
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of sea salt
Wash collards, cut stems off, chop into small pieces and put aside. Stack leaves and roll them up, as you would a sushi roll, then slice from the end to create long strips.  Warm oil in a pan with black pepper, add stems, and sauté for a few minutes. Add collard greens and sea salt, then sauté for about 3 minutes. Add water, cover and allow to steam for about 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat. Add chopped dill and parsley, toss well and allow to sit uncovered for a few minutes, then serve.
Variations:
Mix the juice of a lime and a dash of cayenne. Toss with the greens for a little extra kick!
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Potatoes and Fresh Dill

Serves 6
2 ½ lbs. fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled (any potato will work!)
1 T. kosher salt
3 T. olive oil
2 T. finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add kosher salt and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the flesh can be pierced easily with a sharp knife. Drain and place in a colander. Cover the colander with a kitchen towel and steam the potatoes for 10 minutes. When the potatoes are still warm but cool enough to handle, slice each in half lengthwise. Place in a serving dish and drizzle with olive oil. Stir in fresh dill and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Pickled Cucumbers

Makes 1 quart 
4-5 pickling cucumbers
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
2 Tbsp fresh dill, snipped
1 Tbsp sea salt
4 Tbsp whey, or an additional 1 Tbsp sea salt
1 cup filtered water
Wash cucumbers well and place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over cucumbers, adding more water if necessary to cover cucumbers. The top of the liquid should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.
From "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon, page 97. 

Carrot, Dill, and Poppy Fritters

Shred a whole mess of carrots into a bowl with lots of dill and poppy seeds.
Season well with salt and pepper.
Pour in two eggs beaten with some almond flour.
Combine well.
Form patties and fry individually in oil until they get a bit crispy.
Serve with some pickled red onion.

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Roasted Beet and Radish Salad with Pistachios, Smoked Trout, & Creamy Dill Vinaigrette

8 oz mixed baby lettuces, washed and spun dry
1 bunch radishes, washed and sliced thin
2-3 spring onions, sliced thin
4-6 beets, roasted, peeled and cut into quarers
4 Tbs. pistachios, toasted
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
3/4 c. olive oil
2 Tbs. minced dill
3 Tbs. creme fraiche or Mexican crema
1 smoked trout, removed from skin & bones, flaked
Place vinegar in a small bowl and slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper and whisk in dill. Toss lettuces with vinaigrette, reserving 1/3 in bowl. Arrange greens on serving bowls and place beets, onion and radishes on top. Whisk creme fraiche or crema into remaining vinaigrette and place a dollop on top of each salad. Top with smoked trout and pistachios and serve.

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White Bean Dip with Dill

Six to eight appetizer-sized servings

Soaking the beans the night before drastically reduces the cooking time. And I’ll often cook extra beans, to maximize my energy-efficiency, and use them for soup. If using canned white beans, or making a big pot, you’ll need 2 cups (380g) of beans, drained for the dip.
Reserve some of the liquid, as indicated in the recipe for making the dip. You can use whatever herbs you like. Fresh basil works quite well, as does sage, and tarragon would add a nice sharpness.
Serve the dip with toasted slices of bread, or whole-grain crackers.

3/4 cup (6 ounces, 225g) dried white beans
One bay leaf
1/4 cup (60ml) bean cooking liquid
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
generous pinch of red pepper powder

Additional olive oil and fresh herbs, for garnish

Rinse the dried beans and sort them, checking for stones or debris. Soak the beans overnight in cold water. The next day, bring the beans to a gentle boil with a bay leaf, making sure there is plenty of water covering them. Cook until completely tender, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the beans. (If you live in an area with hard water, a pinch of baking soda can be added to the water to help the beans cook and soften.) Drain the beans, reserving some of the liquid. Puck out the bay leaf and let the beans cool until tepid. Put the beans along with 1/4 cup (60ml) of their cooking liquid in a blender or food processor, and blend with the garlic, dill, mint, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper powder. You’ll need to stop the machine a few times and scrape down the sides, but do puree it long enough for it to be completely smooth, which will take several minutes.Taste, and adjust for seasoning, adding more salt or olive oil if desired. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon or so of the reserved bean liquid or olive oil. Garnish with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of fresh chopped herbs.

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Sautéed Carrots

from Barefoot Contessa: Family Style by Ina Garten, p 122
Serves 6

2 lbs carrots
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1.5 tbsp chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley

Peel the carrots and cut them diagonally in 1/4 inch slices (I didn’t bother to peel). You should have about 6 cups in total. Place the carrots, 1/3 cup water, the salt, and pepper in a large 10-12 inch sauté pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and cook over medium low heat for 7-8 minutes, until the carrots are just cooked through. Add the butter and sauté for another minute until the water evaporates and the carrots are coated with butter. Off the heat, toss with the dill/parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.
 
A note on the cookbook:
I love this cookbook. Family Style is great because it has a whole section on veggies that make them all so good! When I was a kid, my mom (over) steamed everything and I hated eating things like asparagus and cooked carrots because they were limp and slimy and all the flavor had been cooked out of them. These recipes make veggies feel like a treat :) Most of her recipes are also available at the Food Network website, so you probably don’t need to buy the book.

~ Posted for Betsy Buford.  

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful

French Breakfast Radishes

Ahhh, Radishes... They are one of those things that people tend to either love or hate. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. I love radishes sometimes, and I love things that have a similar bite, such as horseradish, nasturtium, and mustard, but never really developed much of a taste for regular ol' radishes...that is, until I became a CSA member. Like many other offerings of the CSA that tend to fall into this category (turnips, greens, chiles, beets, you know, the ones you regularly see in abundance in the trade basket or the ones that you take, disdainfully, that end up wilting away in the back of your crisper drawer), I have, over time, developed more of an appreciation, if not downright desire, for many of them. Perhaps that is because, by nature, I am constantly looking for new and interesting ways of preparing them, some simple, some complex. Perhaps part of it is that I realize that the fresh, enlivened versions are actually quite good compared to their insipid, dull supermarket cousins. Whatever the reason, I am glad that I have expanded my culinary horizons to incorporate them into my cooking and eating. Besides, who couldn't at least be intrigued by these little beauties...?

We made a wonderful salad with the ingredients below for lunch today, and served it with pita chips and some little pre-made filo shells we had begging to be used. It would also be exceptional added to cooked quinoa, pasta, or heaven-forbid, wheat berries, or even served simply over a bed of greens. In the interest of infinite variations, this salad is open to many other interpretations based on what you have on hand and what you have a hankering for (carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, chile peppers, crab, turkey, salmon, turnips, kohlrabi, cabbage, peas, bean, corn, oranges, etc., etc., etc.)

• 1 handful radishes, chopped
• 1 handful radish greens, minced
• 2 green onions (or I'itoi onions), minced
• 2 Tbs. capers
• 1 cucumber or several pickles, chopped
• 2 avocadoes, cubed
• 1/4 cup fresh dill weed, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise or yogurt
• 1 can tuna, drained & flaked (if in oil, do not drain, but reduce amount of mayo)
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Halibut with Beets, Greens and Dill-Orange Gremolata

Happened upon this on the Epicurious.com website (Parent of Gourmet, Self, and Bon Appetit magazines). If you still have some beets left from last week, this would be a great use of them, along with the dill and oranges from this week! Serve with a side of roasted potatoes!

from Epicurious.com:
The whole beet—greens and all—is used in this clever, elegant main. Gremolata—a mixture of chopped herbs, garlic, and citrus peel—is the classic topping for osso buco. This garlic-free variation gives bright, fresh flavor to the halibut.