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? 

Embrace The Season- Beet Salad -1

Summer is over, autumn too is nearly gone. With the changing of seasons means that the produce of summer also had ended. Here where I live the natives try to buy locally. And with this means the change of diet as winter comes.

The veges that will last the winter are those that can be kept in cellars and will still be able to add a bit of color and some vitamins to our daily diets.

I have decided to share some of these veges with you and some recipes to help each of embrace the changing of the seasons and eat more healthy by using locally grown veges.

I never ate many beets growing up in the USA, but here they are cheap and popular.

This salad is one that I am fond of here, it is fast, easy and even my kids love it and ask for more. I typically boil 4 medium size beets, which will last a couple of days and a couple of salads.

Beet Salad- Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
2 medium size beets- boiled and peeled.
1-2 cloves of garlic-depending on how much you like garlic.
1-2 T. mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Method:

Boil the beets until tender. Peel them when cool, their peels slip off very easily without even using a knife. Grate the beets with a course grater. Finely grate or chop the garlic. Add mayo and salt and pepper. Stir and season to taste.