Cucumber Dill Dressing

During cucumber season in July, everything cucumber was on sale. I made some batches of my microwave sweet pickles and tried to look for something new as well.

Meredith wanted me to change the salad dressing up for a bit - getting bored with some of my standards), and Judee's Cucumber Dill Dressing recipe was perfect timing. I didn't stumble across Judee's recipe by accident - I follow her blog through my news reader so I get her most recent updates, along with my other favourite food bloggers, including Food Floozie, Hungry Jenny, Gluten Free Edmonton, Maroc Mama and many others.

Anyway, Judee's recipes are always great - never too complicated, and this was no exception. A simple combination of ingredients for an excellent flavour. I ended up using dried dill instead of fresh, and I added a little salt and pepper (optional in her recipe). This dressing was perfect for a small lunch salad - with lots of leftover dressing for the next couple of days.

Cucumber Dill Dressing

1/4 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
5-7 fresh mint leaves
1 tsp (generous), dried dill
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 cup Greek yoghurt
pinch salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients using an immersion blender.

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Secret Recipe Club: Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill

Another month, another Secret Recipe Club recipe. This month, I was assigned the Gonzo Gourmet, a blog from Southern California that focuses on lighter cooking - salads, desserts, sandwiches, etc.

Since Labour Day was fast approaching, I figured a simple salad for our small barbecue would be appropriate, and I chose the cucumbers with sour cream and dill. The only real change I made was salting the cucumber first (to drain the water) and I swapped out the sour cream for Greek yogurt. They taste very similar, however, the yogurt is fat-free.

I decided to use my food processor for the slicing, and in doing so, I managed to destroy an entire cucumber. I had forgotten to remove the part that allows the slices to fall into the machine's bowl, so once sliced, it whirred around and around until it was nearly mush. I put the mush aside and drained it for tzaziki sauce. After properly slicing the cucumber on my second attempt, it was smooth sailing.

Although there's Greek yogurt and cucumber, I must say that it tasted nothing like tzaziki sauce, as I was expecting. The vinegar added a nice tartness to the salad and we really enjoyed it.

Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill

1 English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
salt
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
3 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1. Place the cucumber slices on a tea towel or paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
2. In the meantime, whisk together yogurt, vinegar, sugar, pepper and dill.
3. Blot cucumbers with paper towel to remove excess liquid and then stir into dressing.
4. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.

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Creamy Dill Sauce (Magic Sauce)

Creamy dill sauce with my chicken on rice dish.

Photo courtesy of Simon's smartphone. 

I realized today that the creamy dill sauce (or, as my good friend put it, Magic) I included with the chicken on rice recipe needs to be on its own since it can be used with several other recipes. It was a smashing success with chicken shawarama as well. So here it is, on its own page.

Enjoy, and don't eat it all at once, because I know you will.

Creamy Dill Sauce

• 1-1/4 cups Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1-1/2 tbsp lemon juice or juice from half a lemon 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1-2 tsp dill
• 1 tbsp water

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix thoroughly.

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Chicken on Rice with Creamy Dill Sauce

Photo courtesy of Simon's smartphone. Our camera
went AWOL during picture time!

It all started with an article I read about street meat in Manhattan. The dish sounded good, but the recipe was off. A little vague, mostly in the method, how to cook the chicken, etc -- and I could tell right away: this isn't how it's prepared at a vendor's cart.

I still didn't care because the ingredients sounded great and I could just do my own thing with it - and I did. Our friends were over for dinner as taste testers and it was a hit. Simon called the sauce "magic." I think that says something. 

Chicken on Rice with Creamy Dill Sauce

• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 8 cloves, ground or 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• dash salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1+2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (or 8-10 thighs) 
• 1 recipe Creamy Dill Sauce (Magic Sauce)

1. Combine the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cloves, paprika, curry powder, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice and 1 tbsp oil in a medium bowl and whisk in yogurt.
2. Transfer mixture to a large zipper bag, add onions and chicken and seal bag. Shake bag to coat chicken and let marinade overnight.
3. To cook chicken, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on high in a large pan. Add chicken and onion mixture and cook for 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through and most of the liquid is gone.
4. Serve with rice and creamy dill sauce.

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Perogies

Student life in Peterborough, Ontario was a frugal one. We didn't often hang out at pubs and clubs, opting to take turns hosting dinner parties instead. The booze was cheaper and, more often, the food was decent.

I didn't realize how much time I had on my hands when I was a student. Class was over by lunchtime on Friday and if it was my turn to host, I had all afternoon to cook.

One of the more memorable dinner parties I attended was Giles Grierson's big perogie party. Giles found the recipe on the sleeve of a Rythm Activism record sleeve. I think he actually quadrupled the recipe because of the number of people attending.

Making the perogies was quite the production. We started in the early afternoon and weren't finished until late in the evening. Aside from the massive amounts prep work involved, the recipe called for copius amounts of vodka which we assumed was meant for the chefs during preparation. While we did control ourselves, the alcohol surely contributed to the amount of time it took us to prepare the meal.

Perogies

Ingredients for perogi dough

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
  
• 1 egg, beaten
  

Ingredients for stuffing (makes enough for 4-6 guests)

• 8 medium sized potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
• 1 grated large onion
• 500 grams cottage cheese
• 300 grams of sharp, old cheddar, grated
• an equal amount of milder cheese, grated
  
• 3 or more heads of garlic, peeled and chopped finely
  
• a handful of either chopped dill, or 2 tablespoons of dried dill
  
• 1 tsp ea. salt and pepper
  

Ingredients for perogie sauce

• 6 or more onions peeled, diced
• 2 or more heads [Dan: no, that's not a typo] garlic peeled, cut finely
• 1/4 pound of butter
• big handful of fresh, chopped parsley or a handful of chopped green onions
• 1 tsp each salt and pepper

Preparation

Mix flour and salt. Combine egg, milk and water, gently stir into flour mix. Knead 3-4 minutes, make 6 balls of dough. Flour rolling surface, then roll out dough to approximately 1/16 to 1/8" thickness. Cut into 3-4" squares.

Meanwhile, combine all the stuffing ingredients in a big ball, and season to taste. Don't be afraid of lots of garlic - it's good for you.

Begin boiling a large pot of water, add a teaspoon salt, a teaspoon oil.

Preparing the sauce

Brown the onions and garlic in the butter and then add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer.

Stuff the perogies: hold a dough square in the palm of one hand, wet to joining sides of it with your finger, add about 1 teaspoon of stuffing in the middle, the fold the dough dry corner to wet corner to form a triangular "hat" and pinch the two sides shup firmly. Lay the stuffed perogies gently on a tray keeping them seperate from each other, then add to boiling water, about 10 at a time, stirring gently 3-5 minutes, until they float to the surface. They're ready.

Back to the sauce: coat a good sized casserole dish with a bit of sauce, then alternate layers of perogies and sauce.

While perparing the perogies, don't hesitate to toast major accomplishments regularly with a coderate shot of vodka, followed immediately with a chaser of hot tea.

Serve perogies with sauerkraut, sour cream, mushrooms, pickles, tomatoes, and fresh bread. Dessert should be something light.

Refreshments

• 1 bottle for every two guests of either Polish, Ukranian, or Russian vodka, chilled.
• 1 pot of black tea.

(recipe found on a Rythm Activism record sleeve)
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