Five Weeknight Dishes: Easy dill dinners

By Emily Weinstein, The New York Times

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

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

Preparation

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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)

Preparation

1. 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.

2. 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.)

3. 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.

4. 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

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

Preparation

1. 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.

2. 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.)

3. 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.)

4. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with dill, and serve with dill sour cream and halved lemon.

4. Baked Artichoke Pasta With Creamy Goat Cheese

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

Preparation

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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)

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

Preparation