This is my first attempt to write a blog. I’ve been a pickle fan for a long time but have never bought dill seeds. I love the flavor they add to pickles and I thought I’d try them on pork loin.
I don’t know how much they are at the grocery store because I live in a small town and we don’t have one. But, if you can find them at your local grocery store, purchase dill seeds in the spice aisle. You can also purchase them on line.
After reading many different recipes and blogs about how to use dill seeds, I decided to brine my pork loin in a dill pickle juice solution. Next, I put my seasoned meat into an oven bag with slices of sweet onion, garlic cloves, and more dill seeds. Then I baked it in the oven for 2 hours at 350 degrees F.
I served the meat sliced thin with a sauce made from butter and flour cooked together until it turns brown, then whisked in milk and heavy cream until it thickens slightly. Finally, I added fresh dill weed and pepper flakes along with salt to taste.
Although I like to think I’m a creative cook, I have to be honest and admit that most of my recipes start with a search for new uses for dill seeds. It’s not that I don’t enjoy cooking, but I do enjoy eating even more. And the problem is that the same old dishes are just not as exciting as they used to be — at least not to me. So I’ve decided it’s time to expand my horizons and see what else can be done with dill seeds besides adding them to pickles.
Trying new things comes with a bit of risk, so if you decide to experiment with this recipe, please do so responsibly. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and ask.*
The dill seeds are very small, bright yellow in color and laced with tiny black seeds. They have a very distinctive taste and smell. When they are crushed and mixed in with a pickle brine they give the pickles a very distinct flavor.
Dill (Anethum graveolens) is also known as Aneth, Dill Weed, Gräßen, Dillen, Dill Seed, Ak-dil, Anis des prés, Anis épic, Huile de l’aneth, Estragon de jardin, Für ungarische Salatgurken und Für bayerische Krautwurstsalat. The plant is native to temperate regions of Europe and Asia but is now cultivated worldwide because of its long history of use as a culinary herb. It’s one of the most popular herbs in the world.
I’m looking for a new recipe that uses dill seeds. The recipe should be interesting, easy to follow and execute, and good tasting. I’d like to post the results on my blog. I’ll post the name of the recipe and the person who submitted it.
I’d rather not get recipes that are too exotic or complicated. I want everyday food that most people would enjoy, or at least food that people could imagine making into an everyday dish. I am starting out as a home cook so I don’t have access to fancy ingredients or professional equipment, but I’m open-minded about where recipes come from.
Tone:Informative
The first step to prepping dill seeds in recipes is to remove the stems. If you’re using fresh dill weed, there’s no need for this step, but if you’re using dried dill seeds, it’s necessary. Pick over the seeds, and pluck out any stems you find.
There are three main ways of doing this, which I’ll discuss in turn.
The first way is to simply pluck the seeds from the stems in a few quick motions of your fingers, then discard the stems. This works best if you have a small amount, maybe about a tablespoon or so, of seeds to remove from relatively large stems. It’s not so great if you have a lot of dill seeds to remove from very small stems.
If you’re removing seeds from small stems, try another method: roll them between your thumb and forefinger. Rub your fingers together until only a few seeds remain on one or two seed stalks. Then pick up those ones and discard the rest. This works well with smaller quantities of smaller seed stalks. Again though, it doesn’t work as well with larger quantities of large seed stalks.
To get rid of big quantities of dill seed stems quickly, use a sieve or strainer
“Dill seeds are the dried fruit of the dill plant. The fruit of the plant is a pod that has small seeds inside that are used to make dill weed. These seeds have a strong, aromatic taste and smell similar to caraway and fennel. They have many culinary uses in Asian and European dishes.”
The little brown seeds are quite pretty, with their pale green centers and dark brown outer shell. Though I’ve always thought perhaps a little out of proportion to the size of the seed, since they’re about three times as big as your average black pepper or mustard seed.
The seeds are often used in pickling recipes, but also make a nice addition to breads or to liven up some rice dishes.”
Interesting fact: “Dill Seeds are also known as Dill Weed Seeds, but this is incorrect because they are not a part of the dill weed plant.”
Dill seeds are the fruit of the dill plant. In this form, they have a strong, distinctive flavor.
