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. Dill is essential to Iranian cuisine, and Nowruz — which marks the beginning of spring and the start of a new year in Iran, Afghanistan and beyond — is quickly approaching, which means it’s an excellent time to make sabzi polo (herbed rice with tahdig).
Not a dill lover? You can omit it, or swap in other herbs, in all but the salmon and stew recipes below. Tell me what you think and share your herb power rankings by emailing me at dearemily@nytimes.com. And I’m sending warmest wishes for Ramadan to everyone who celebrates.
1. Skillet Chicken With Orzo, Dill and Feta
You know what I love almost as much as dill? Feta cheese. (And orzo. So underrated.) Feta and dill are a classic pairing in Greek cooking, and they bring special zing to this one-pan chicken dinner from Sarah Copeland. We’re here to honor dill today, but if you’d prefer to use mint or parsley (or a combination), that’d work nicely, too.
