Nice to see yo again Dill. Lovely, feathery, frondy, flavorful dill... I've missed you. I've used you dried all winter long and it just wasn't the same. But, when a lady really needs some dill she'll take what she can get. Ahhhh... does dill really make every thing better? Is it just me? It is one of those things for which there is no passable substitution so I look forward to the long, abundantly dilly weeks of summer all year. It is really a beautiful and useful plant in the garden, bees and butterflies love the pungent, pollen heavy flowers when it blooms. The flowering heads are really pretty in floral arrangements. And while dill refuses to be disturbed or transplanted, it reseeds vigorously and it those seeds are super tasty. I can't share my super favorite use for dill just yet... but perhaps later on a recipe page.... as the cucumbers and green beans tumble in. I do believe that my failure-proof lacto-fermented dill pickles are in our future. You WANT that recipe. But for now a quick to prepare rub for veggies, tofu, potatoes, meat, fish, anything you want to grill. When fresh dill is exposed to high heat it chars beautifully and caramelizes opening up a big mouthful of complex flavor. What I like to do is choppity chop chop a bunch of dill on the coarse side, smash a clove or ten of garlic, and toss that with the juice and zest of one lemon (because you know dill and citrus are best friends), a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, a good squeeze of dijon mustard, a shake of crushed red pepper flakes and a teeny little bit of olive oil, just a bit to help things stay juicy as they soak up all these good flavors. Rub or toss that on seriously just about anything that isn't nailed down. Wait a while, overnight if you can possibly stand it. And then you are in grilling nirvana. As an extra, super bonus this rub mixture can also be blended into ground beef or chicken in place of other traditional meatball ingredients or brushed over a sliced open baguette that is then grilled or broiled for bruschetta. I just dare you to try and not top that with some gorgeously, drippingly, juicy tomatoes in July. Happy Dill Days to everyone eating at your table.
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