Dill and artichokes

On the ongoing mission to cover all the herbs on the wall chart, I've reached the territory of herbs I don't know so well, the ones I skirt in the supermarket in favour of basil or thyme.   The only thing I knew about Dill is that it looks a bit like fennel. Tsk.

Dill (Anethum graveolens) is a short lived, aromatic perennial, with feathery leaves.   Both the leaves and the seeds are used in cooking as well as having been used as a folk remedy for nausea and stomach ache. 

Dill from Hawthorn Farm Organics

According to The Herb Expert, Dill weed, or leaves (which have a light, grassy taste) go well with cucumber in sandwiches, cold soups and salads.   Freshly cut leaves can be used to enhance the flavour of salads, egg dishes, soups, dips and herb butters, as well as being tossed into a bowl of boiled new potatoes with mayonnaise and capers.

Dill Seeds (which have a more intense, earthy flavour) can be used whole or ground to add flavour to breads, cheeses salad dressings and stews, as well as to a vinegar or pickles (especially cucumber).

The wall chart also suggests pickles, salad dressing, cabbages, potato salad and cauliflower, but the recipe I found on Guardian online (by Silvena Row) is with artichokes and broad-beans.

Warm braised artichokes, broad beans and dill

2 lemons
4 large globe artichokes
800g fresh broad beans (in their pods)
100ml olive oil
4 shallots, peeled
900ml vegetable stock
1 tsp sugar
50g fresh dill, finely chopped
4 tbsp suzme (strained yoghurt; see note below - this is what she suggests, I may use quark when I make it)

Fill a bowl with cold water and add the juice and skin of one lemon. Cut the stalks off the artichokes and remove the outer leaves to reveal the light-green heart. Drop the artichoke hearts into the lemon water (to avoid discoloration).

Remove the beans from their pods and drop into a pan of boiling water. Simmer for three to five minutes, drain and cool. Once cooled, slip off the outer skins.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the whole shallots over a medium heat for 12–15 minutes. Add the beans, stock and sugar, and season. Squeeze in the juice from the other lemon and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the artichoke hearts, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the artichokes are tender. Leave to cool slightly in the cooking liquid, then strain.

Serve warm, sprinkled with dill and accompanied by a dollop of suzme – put 800g of full-fat yoghurt in the centre of some double-layered muslin or cheesecloth and suspend over a bowl in the fridge for a day.

She also recommends a wine: the mineral charge and vibrant, almost astringent citrus notes of Hatzidakis Assyrtiko 2008 from Santorini, Greece, which might be worth trying.