Dill = Dilles

Dill it such a part of Latvian cuisine that I sometime forget that it is not used in my homeland of America as often as here.

I had some American girls visiting and we were making cold soup and the girls commented on how they didn't know how to chop the dill- what to do with the stems, etc because it wasn't used in the States.

Growing up in America we used dried dill seeds when canning pickles and some dried dill weed on potatoes- but my Dad is American-Latvian, so perhaps that was the Latvian influence coming out.

As for us dill is a part of nearly every cucumber salad we make in summer. We love fresh garden cut cucumbers sliced with some fresh dill, a bit of salt and pepper and sour cream. YUMMY!

They even add dill and cucumbers for a nice refreshing water here- I was a bit skeptical when we ordered it in the cafe- but WOW- it was refreshing, and summery.

So here are my recommendation for using dill:

• use it as a garnish for potatoes (they do it with chives and sometimes parsley here- it is lovely and delicious). 
• use it in chopped in salads and soups 
• use if in pickles (the more the better- use the heads, stems, leaves, etc). 
• use it in a summery water combo with cucumber
• use it in dips- you can make a nice dill and herb dip by blending sour cream, garlic and herbs in the blender. This is great with fresh veges and baked potatoes. 

So where do you use dill?