Dill Butter

A huge bunch of dill arrived in our box this week. I mean, huge. If I dried this dill and stuck it in a jar, I would still be working on using it up a year from now.

Dill is subtle but aromatic. It's not a herb I go to often. So I felt at a bit of a loss as to what to do with all this dill.

I knew it would not last long so I decided to go back to my herb butter recipe I have done in the past. 

I also had a bit of leftover parsley on hand that I threw in as well. But the the most prominent herb is dill.

Dill Butter

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of dill
• additional herbs and black pepper as desired
• butter

Directions

• Let the butter soften at room temperature
• Prepare dill by picking off the leaves and chopping
• Combine butter and herbs in bowl or food processor
• Spoon herb butter mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper and shape into a cylinder
• Place it in the fridge to solidify overnight
• Remove from fridge and let it soften slightly
• Cut into individual pieces and place in a freezer baggie

Now that it's in the freezer, what do you do with it?

• As you prepare a side of veggies, add a bit of dill butter. 
• Add a dab to roasted salmon.
• Prep the skillet with the herb butter prior to adding eggs on a weekend breakfast.

Some additional resources on the subject:

http://www.barefootkitchenwitch.com/the_barefoot_kitchen_witc/2010/07/dill-butter.html

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/dill-butter/detail.aspx

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/grilled-corn-on-the-cob-with-dill-butter-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/04/08/grilled-salmon-dill-butter-recipe

Herbed Butter

This week's box had a tempting recipe for cilantro butter that I hope to try one day. Unfortunately, I waited too long before attempting this. When I went to make it the cilantro was a wilted lump in the refrigerator. But the idea of herbed butter idea intrigued me.

I had a good amount of leftover thyme from a potato-leek soup recipe I made over the holidays. I also had plenty of dried parsley from the backyard in the spice drawer. So I ended up adapting the recipe just with different herbs.

I took the final product and sliced it into single servings and stuck them in a bag in the freezer.

Here's what I did:

• 1/2 of an 8 oz. package of unsalted butter (I used Kerrygold's Irish butter)
• fresh thyme leaves - about 1 cup
• dried parsley leaves - about 1/2 cup
• black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Procedures:

• Let butter sit at room temperature to soften
• Pick thyme leaves
• Add thyme leaves, parsley, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to a food processor and pulse into a coarse meal
• Add above ingredients to a kitchen mixer; add butter and mix until well blended
• Use a spatula to scoop ingredients into a parchment paper
• Roll up the parchment paper and massage into a cylinder (like a giant tootsie roll)
• Let chill overnight to harden
• Slice into single servings and transfer to the freezer
  

Irish Butter

We've just returned from a three week trip to Ireland. I'm of Irish descent and, while this was not the first time there, it was a chance to revisit the country as an adult. I was pleasantly surprised by the food and I will post a few entries on my findings there.

Let's begin with the butter! Irish butter is simply incredible. Butter on a piece of bread is usually just a condiment, but with Irish butter it's another ingredient to be enjoyed and savored (along with the wonderful brown bread they make!). After getting home I wondered what was the difference. Some research revealed that organically-raised cows make the difference. Go figure.

In Ireland, it seems that all cows are grass fed. Here, grass-fed beef is a premium. There, it's a way of life. Not only that, but for every acre of land there are only 20-30 cows at the most. Each cow has room to move around, lay down, and feed. Calves stay with their mother and continue to feed from her. The cows (and sheep) eat grass, heather, and wild herbs that the Irish say they can taste in the meat. The cows are not overwhelmed by flies and the stench of the American factory farm is not there.

For the most part, I don't eat meat but in Ireland I ordered lamb a number of times since I was comfortable that the animal was raised organically and humanely. Hiking through the Irish countryside gave me lots of opportunities to see how they raise their animals.

This website speaks to the quality of the animal that provides the butter: "The butters are made from milk from different breeds of cow that are fed in different climates eating different fodder- all factors that influence the final product."

Two qualities differentiate Irish butter: Color and fat content. The color is more yellow which is from the beta carotene in the intense green grass that cows consume. I compared the nutritional analysis of the Kerrygold with TJ's regular brand and Whole Foods' 365 brand. Most of the numbers were the same (365 was higher in sodium) but Irish butter was slightly higher in saturated fats. While saturated fats are the "bad" fats it is likely the stuff that contributes to the texture and feel of the butter.

Irish butter is readily available at your local supermarket and Trader Joe's. One of the brands available at both is the Kerrygold label. Their website states, "Our grass fed cows ... produce the sweetest, richest milk in the world. It's the reason our butter tastes silkier and creamier and glows a healthy, golden yellow like the sun."

Give it a try.