Carrot soup with dill pesto

by Caitlin Saniga

Carrots, dill and (usually) butter are a classic combo, but puree the carrots and dill separately and you’re on to something new.

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Meatless Monday: Spiced, roasted carrots with chickpea-sauerkraut puree

by Sarah Steimer

The original author of this recipe said the inspiration came from a deli-style Reuben sandwich — and I can definitely see it. It’s great to enjoy these sorts of flavors (the sauerkraut and steak-like spices) in a lighter, meatless setting. I went nuts for the sauerkraut-chickpea puree especially. I saved my leftovers in a glass jar and snacked on it for a few days after.

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Garlic-dill salmon over rice with caramelized onions and spinach

by Sarah Steimer

One of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, Andies, was the inspiration for this dish. They always have amazing dill basmati rice, and lots of other great, fresh dishes with Mediterranean flavors. I picked a few of my favorite flavors and worked from there in making this recipe.

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Meatless Monday: Cauliflower-kale soup with dill and roasted chestnuts

by Caitlin Saniga

The dill and roasted chestnuts are the highlights of this soup, making it wonderfully fragrant.

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt
• 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), florets and stems cut into 1-inch pieces (8 to 9 cups)
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
• 5 large kale or collard leaves, or a combination, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
• pepper
• 10 chestnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook the onion, covered, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt, and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the cauliflower, and pour in the water until it reaches just below the top of the cauliflower.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons dill. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the kale, and simmer for 3 minutes.

Let sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons dill. Puree soup in batches in a blender until very smooth, adding more water (about 1/2 cup) if it’s too thick. Return to the pot, and reheat. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, slice large X’s in the skin of each chestnut. Arrange the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the skin begins to peel away. Allow nuts to cool about 5 minutes before peeling completely with your hands and a knife (if you need it). Chop the chestnuts into pieces.

Garnish the soup with dill, black pepper, a drizzle of oil, a pinch of sea salt and a sprinkling of chestnuts. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from: MarthaStewart.com

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Want one?: Beef, onion and feta wontons with dill yogurt dipping sauce

by Caitlin Saniga

Use whatever fresh herbs you have for the wonton filling. I used a combination of dill and basil. And I served the wontons with kalamatta olives. Hummus and a nice leafy salad would fill out the meal nicely.

For the wontons:

• 2 tablespoon finely chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 pound ground chuck
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta
• 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh herbs (any combination of basil, chives, dill, mint or oregano)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 30 round wonton wrappers

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For these wontons, I molded the meat mixture into an oblong shape and placed it at the center of the wrapper. I folded the wrapper in half, sealed it and used a bit of extra water to reinforce a series of small folds along the edges.

To make the wontons:

In a small dish, marinate the onions in the white vinegar for 10 minutes. Once they’re ready, transfer them to a medium bowl and use your hands to combine them with the beef, feta, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper.

Assemble the wontons by placing a rounded teaspoonful of the meat mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper. Use a wet fingertip to trace the edge of the wonton wrapper, fold the wonton as desired and press the wet edges to seal. Repeat this process with the remaining wrappers.

Pour canola oil into a large pan so that it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Place the pan over medium heat and let it sit until it’s hot, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a cooling rack by covering it with paper towels.

To check whether the oil is hot enough, you can carefully flick a few drops of water at the oil. If they sizzle and pop immediately, the oil’s ready.

Add 6 of the wontons to the pan, and allow them to cook until they bubble up and turn-golden brown on the bottoms, no more than 20 seconds. Flip the wontons and cook for no more than 20 seconds longer. Using a pair of metal tongs, transfer the wontons to the cooling racks. Repeat these steps to finish the wontons.

If you don’t have fresh dill, dried dill will fill in just fine. Instead of a tablespoon, use a teaspoon.

To make the sauce:

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Serve the wontons hot with the dill yogurt sauce on the side.

Makes 30.

* Want One? is our October guide that pays homage to the wonton, a traditionally steamed, fried, baked or boiled dumpling that can be filled with an array of goodies. We’ll feature meatless, meat-full and dessert renditions.

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Lickety Split: Horseradish-pickled wax beans

by Sarah Steimer

You really do have to like horseradish for this recipe – which I love. The beans stay really crisp and the horseradish and peppercorns give them a nice zip.

•  1 large handful of yellow wax beans or green beans
• 2 garlic cloves, halved
• 2 dill sprigs
• 1 tarragon sprig
• 1 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

Trim the stem ends of the beans and pack them into a 16-ounce jar, trimmed ends facing up. Add the garlic, dill, tarragon, peppercorns and horseradish to the jar.

I’ve just been snacking on these beans straight from the fridge. They’re great just with a simple lunchtime sandwich.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, sugar and water. Whisk until the salt and sugar have dissolved.

Pour the liquid into the jar to cover the beans. If the beans are not covered, add some water to cover.

Let rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.

Recipe adapted from: Food & Wine

* Lickety Split is our August guide that features recipes for quick pickles, or pickles you can make in minutes and store in the fridge. See all of our Lickety Split pickle recipes here.

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Lickety Split: Dill cucumber pickles

by Caitlin Saniga

If possible, try to pick cucumbers that are about 4 inches long. The pint mason jars are about 4 1/2 inches tall. I found the cucumbers I used at the farmers market. I asked a vendor to help me choose cucumbers that were small, firm and had tiny seeds. She was a huge help.

• 4 small pickling cucumbers
• 1 small bunch dill
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon pickling salt, which you can find in the canning section of your grocery store

I didn’t have quite enough dill for this recipe, so I did one jar of dill pickles, and another jar of spicy garlic pickles. The only substitution I made for the spicy pickles was to use 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes in place of the dill. They were delicious, too.

Cut each cucumber into 6 lengths. Pack the cucumbers, dill and garlic into 2 wide-mouth pint mason jars.

In a small pot, combine the vinegar, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the boiling vinegar mixture over the cucumbers to within 1/2 inch  of each jar’s rim. Screw on the lid, and allow to cool for about 1/2 hour. Transfer the jars to the fridge, where the pickles should keep for about 2 weeks.

Recipe adapted from: Epicurious

* Lickety Split is our August guide that features recipes for quick pickles, or pickles you can make in minutes and store in the fridge. See all of our Lickety Split pickle recipes here.

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