Spring is so close I can taste it — or at least I’m trying to taste it as I load up my grocery list with green things like arugula, scallions and leafy herbs. We’re still weeks away from peak spring produce, but you can hustle winter out the door if you lean heavily on ingredients that are available in March but are giving May.
That’s especially true of herbs. To me, dill is the springiest herb, as spring as windy sunshine, a Little League game or the pink blossoms on a magnolia tree. I love its fragrance and its feathery ways, so much so that all five of the dinner recipes below feature it. Also try heaping it on salads, folding it into tuna salad for sandwiches or stirring it into a basic yogurt sauce to serve with meat, fish, grains or vegetables.
Not a dill lover? You can omit it or swap in other herbs in all but the salmon and stew recipes below.
1. Skillet Chicken With Orzo, Dill and Feta
Skillet Chicken With Orzo, Dill and Feta. Feta and dill are a classic pairing in Greek cooking, and they bring special zing to this one-pan chicken dinner. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. (David Malosh/The New York Times)
Chicken and orzo is a timeless combination, simple and satisfying. In this recipe, you could use chicken thighs, but drumsticks make this dish super family-friendly. Of course, if you have a crowd that doesn’t love the classic feta-dill pairing, feel free to change the toppings. Mint or parsley works just as well for the herbs, and any salty, crumbly cheese is lovely here. You can dress this up as you like with cucumbers or cherry tomatoes, or green olives, served alongside or pitted, chopped and tossed in instead. Besides the obvious perk of its being a one-pot dinner, this recipe yields great leftovers. For the next day’s lunch, pull any remaining chicken off the bone; chop it, skin and all; and toss with the remaining orzo, vegetables and cheese. Know that the orzo — a very small pasta, not rice — soaks up all the liquid and flavor as it sits and cools, so you may need a drizzle of oil and lemon juice over the top to serve it the second day.
By Sarah Copeland
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes, plus marinating
INGREDIENTS
2 lemons
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds chicken drumsticks or bone-in thighs
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups orzo
3 cups chicken broth or water
2 small or 1 large thin-skinned (English) cucumbers, chopped
5 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Castelvetrano or other green olives, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Cut one of the lemons into wedges and set aside. Juice the remaining lemon and combine with 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag or in a bowl along with the chicken pieces. Seal and shake the bag (or stir in the bowl) to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to overnight.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet (see Tip) over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and cook until lightly golden all over, turning when the chicken releases easily from the pan, about 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion to the pan and stir to coat with the remaining fat. Decrease heat to medium and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the orzo and the broth or water. Cook until the liquid is partly absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Top with the chicken legs and cover with a lid or foil. Continue cooking until the orzo is tender, most of the liquid is absorbed, and the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more, depending on the size of your drumsticks or thighs. Remove from the heat and scatter the cucumber, feta and dill over the top. Serve from the skillet with lemon wedges and olives.
Tip: Some cast-iron skillets come with a matching lid, which is useful for making the skillet operate a bit like a mini stovetop oven, cooking evenly and basting the food with flavor and steam. If you don’t have one, use a lid from another pan, or two layers of thick foil, folded at the center and large enough to cover your pan.
2. Ginger-Dill Salmon
Salmon, gently roasted to a buttery medium-rare, stars in this make-ahead-friendly dish. Fruity citrus and dill join spicy radishes and ginger, and the result is a refreshing, jostling mix of juicy, crunchy, creamy, spicy and sweet. Both the salad and the salmon can be made two days ahead, and everything is good at room temperature or cold. To embellish further, consider baby greens, thinly sliced cucumbers or fennel, roasted beets, soba, tostadas, furikake or chile oil.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 (1 1/2-pound) salmon fillet, skin-on or skinless
Kosher salt and black pepper
6 tablespoons finely chopped dill
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, scrubbed and finely grated (no need to peel)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 grapefruit
2 oranges
6 small radishes, cut into thin wedges
1 avocado
Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Pat the salmon dry, then place on the tray skin-side down (if there is skin) and season with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, stir together the dill, ginger and olive oil until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the dill-ginger mixture over the top of the salmon. (Reserve the remaining dill-ginger mixture.) Bake until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. (You’ll know the salmon is done when the fish flakes or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part is 120 degrees.)
As the salmon cooks, cut off the top and bottom of the grapefruit and set the grapefruit down on one of the cut sides. Follow the curve of the fruit to cut away the peel and pith. Squeeze the peels into the remaining dill-ginger mixture to get out any juice. Cut the fruit in half from top to bottom, then slice into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons and remove the seeds. If your pieces are especially large, halve them again. Transfer the fruit and any juice on the cutting board to the bowl. Repeat with the oranges. Add the radishes, season generously with salt, and stir gently to combine.
Break the salmon into large pieces, and divide across plates with the citrus salad. Peel and pit the avocado, then quarter lengthwise and add to plates. Season with salt. Spoon the juices from the bowl over top, and season with black pepper, another drizzle of olive oil, and flaky sea salt, if using.
3. Sheet-Pan Pierogies With Brussels Sprouts and Kimchi
Sheet-Pan Pierogies With Brussels Sprouts and Kimchi. This recipe plays around with Eastern European staples to delicious effect: pierogies, which are roasted here, rather than pan-fried or boiled, and cabbage, which turns up in the form of kimchi. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. (Linda Xiao/The New York Times)
This sheet-pan dinner is a sure win in under an hour, with your oven doing most of the heavy lifting. Roasting pierogies yields a crisp, golden skin with a soft, pillowy interior, but if you don’t have pierogies, you could use gnocchi in their place. (No precooking required!) Cooking kimchi at high heat may feel like a surprising move, but it becomes sticky and caramelized, imparting lots of flavor and texture to the final dish. Finally, a dill sour cream adds a fresh richness, but feel free to swap out the sour cream and use a good-quality Greek yogurt, crème fraîche or even buttermilk (it will be runnier, so no need to thin with water).
By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 50 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 1/2 cups cabbage kimchi
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 (13-ounce) packages fresh or frozen cheese or potato pierogies (no need to thaw)
1/2 small lemon, for serving
Handful of chopped dill, for serving
For the dill sour cream:
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped dill
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 400 degrees. Add the Brussels sprouts and kimchi to a rimmed sheet pan. (A small amount of kimchi juice is fine and adds lots of flavor.) Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and black pepper, and toss to combine.
Prepare the dill sour cream: Combine the sour cream, dill, oil, lemon and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine. If the cream is too thick, add a tablespoon of water. (You are looking for the consistency of heavy cream.)
After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and add the pierogies. Drizzle everything with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and, using a spatula, toss everything together. Return to the oven, and roast until the Brussels sprouts are tender, and the pierogies are puffed and golden, another 20 to 25 minutes. (Don’t flip the pierogies.)
Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with dill, and serve with dill sour cream and halved lemon.
4. Baked Artichoke Pasta With Creamy Goat Cheese
Baked Artichoke Pasta With Creamy Goat Cheese. There are three different creamy cheeses in this molten masterwork – cream cheese, mozzarella and goat – and they bake and bubble with pasta, canned artichoke hearts, scallions and dill for an early-spring dinner. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. (Ryan Liebe/The New York Times)
This cheese-filled pasta bake gets its sweet and crunchy topping from a layer of canned fried onions and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Canned artichokes give it a savory depth, while a combination of goat cheese, cream cheese and mozzarella make it wonderfully gooey. Make sure to use plain — not marinated — artichokes, which will be too sharp and acidic here. You’re looking for a mellow richness in this comforting casserole.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 6 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Salt, as needed
1 pound fusilli, farfalle or other short pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 large bunch scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
4 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
8 ounces cream cheese (1 cup), cubed
6 ounces goat cheese, cubed
2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups canned fried onions
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 425 degrees and bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli according to package directions until 3 minutes shy of al dente. Reserve 3 cups pasta water, then drain.
Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook scallion whites until softened, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in red-pepper flakes, and cook another 30 seconds.
Whisk in 1 1/2 cups pasta water, cream cheese and goat cheese, and simmer, whisking, until smooth. Stir in artichokes, 1 cup fried onions, the mozzarella, the parsley, the dill and the reserved scallion greens, then stir in cooked pasta and black pepper. Add more pasta water if it seems too dry; you want this to be fairly liquid, because the pasta will soak up the sauce as it bakes. Taste and add some salt if needed.
Top pasta with remaining cup of fried onions and the Parmesan. Bake until filling is bubbly and onions are browned, about 10 to 20 minutes. Serve drizzled with olive oil, and with more red-pepper flakes on the side if you like.
5. Baghali Ghatogh (Fava Bean Stew)
Baghali Ghatogh (Fava Bean Stew), an updated version of a beloved Iranian stew. Food Stylist; Simon Andrews. (David Malosh/The New York Times)
A popular and beloved stew from northern Iran, baghali ghatogh is an ambassador of early spring produce. Earthy, bright-green fava beans, fragrant dill and an assertive amount of garlic are combined with eggs for a comforting meal. Although shelling and peeling fresh favas is a rite of passage (see Tip), it’s a time-consuming task, given the amount needed here (but if you have the time, go for it!). Frozen fava beans are a worthy substitute, but if they aren’t available, you can use canned butter beans or frozen lima beans. Just enough eggs are used to give the stew some heft, but they shouldn’t overwhelm the vibrant flavors of this verdant stew. The eggs can be incorporated two ways: cracked in and poached, or stirred in to break apart. Baghali ghatogh is typically served over rice with a side of smoked fish and pickled garlic, or with bread.
By Naz Deravian
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive oil
5 to 10 large garlic cloves (depending on preference), finely grated
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
14 ounces double-peeled frozen fava beans, thawed (see Tip), or 2 (15-ounce) cans butter beans, lima beans or cannellini beans, rinsed
2 large bunches fresh dill (about 8.5 ounces), stems trimmed, finely chopped, or 1/4 cup dried dill
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
3 to 4 large eggs
DIRECTIONS
Add the oil and garlic to a medium pot, then set it over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic, stirring often, until fragrant and cooked, taking care not to burn it, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the turmeric, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans, dill, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir gently so the beans don’t break, and cook for about 3 minutes, just so the flavors meld and no longer taste raw.
Increase the heat to medium-high, add enough water to cover the beans, about 2 cups (or more as needed, if you’re using cannellini beans, which absorb more liquid), and bring to a gentle boil. Partially cover with the lid barely ajar, reduce the heat to medium-low, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, but still maintain their shape (no mushy beans please), and the flavors have come to life, about 12 minutes.
Taste the beans and liquid for salt and pepper, and adjust as needed. The stew should be juicy enough to serve over rice, but if it seems too liquidy, remove the lid and cook a little longer to reduce it, keeping in mind that the eggs will also thicken it up. Add a little more water if the stew is too thick.
Increase the heat to medium and add the eggs one at a time. If poaching whole eggs, use 4 eggs and make individual wells in the stew before adding each egg. Cook, uncovered, until the whites set and the yolk is cooked to desired consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. (Alternately, you can stir the eggs in: Add 3 eggs, then run a spoon through each egg to break them apart and cook, slightly covered, until the eggs set, about 3 to 5 minutes.) Taste, add more water if the stew is too thick, adjust seasoning and serve.
Tip: Frozen double peeled fava beans can be found at Iranian and Middle Eastern markets, and online. If using frozen lima beans, use the same amount. If using fresh favas, use 3 pounds fresh fava beans in their pods. Remove the favas from their pod (the first thick layer) as you would to shell fresh green peas. Once podded, bring a small pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Place the podded beans in the boiling water for a quick minute or two, then drain and dunk in the ice bath. Drain and easily pop the skin off by giving the bean a squeeze.
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