Lush fresh dill is definitely on my top five list of all-time favourite herbs. I can't get enough of its heavenly heady aroma, a blend of mint, citrus, and fennel with a hint of sea air. Did you know the ancient Romans regarded dill as a symbol of vitality? Both Romans and Greeks are said to have drifted into a peaceful slumber with fresh aromatic dill leaves wrapped around their heads. Hmm... maybe I should give this a try! Fresh dill is particularly popular in Turkey and Iran to balance cooling vegetables, used in pickling, yogurt dips, cheese pastries and rice dishes. Storage tip: The best way to store dill is like flowers, standing in a container with water to cover their stems, a plastic bag over the leaves and refrigerated.
Try lentils with dill... a super way to get excellent meat-free protein in your diet with the fresh zingy citrusy caraway flavour of dill!
Green Lentils with Dill Roasted Pepper Salsa Verde
Makes 6 to 8 servings
300 g green lentils, rinsed and drained, allot time for sitting in water according to package
4 to 6 roasted red sweet pepper, rinsed, drained and diced, divided
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 green chilies, deseeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger
Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Large handful of fresh dill, chopped and divided
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Juice of 1-1/2 lemons
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Note: Look for Puy lentils- they are small silvery-green coated lentils. They hold their shape better than other lentils and are highly flavourful. Whole Food Market, health food and some bulk stores carry these awesome lentils. I wasn't able to get out to these stores and used green lentils I had on hand. It will definitely make a difference in the resulting dish.
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Follow preparation directions on lentil package. Drain them and place into a bowl.
To make the salsa, place all the remaining ingredients apart from the oil in a food processor, adding 1/4 roasted peppers and 1/4 dill and process with short bursts until a particulate consistency. Add the olive oil, drizzling into the running machine until well blended. Season to taste.
Add remaining 3/4 of the red peppers and 3/4 bunch of dill, and salsa verde; mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add more lemon juice, and olive oil to your preference.
Simply a gorgeous dish, full of protein, low in fat and high in minerals!
My kids liked the citrusy flavours but not too keen on the lentils, so they only took one bite. However, I was happy to see that they were not reluctant to try it. My husband took some of it for a light lunch and will serve it with a piece of bread. I've served lentils masquerade in Blueberry Oatmeal Lentil Scones and was met with success. Never give up and think creatively to get your kids to try new foods!
If you adore dill like me, give these other dilly recipes a try- all thumbs up dishes from my family: Butternut Squash Apple Soup with Dill, Lemony Dill Yogurt Dip, Creamy Dill Apple Salad, Greek Quinoa Salad, Pan-Fried Whole Trout with Lemon and Dill and Fish and Shrimp in Dill Garlic White Wine.
Next up are chives, giving a light fine shallot fragrance and flavour to chive biscuits and scrambled eggs...
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