I’m borrowing this photo from the internet, but it very much reminds me of the bright shuttered houses of Kazakhstan. Many of them had large kitchen gardens covering their entire yard.
In 2006 Andrew and I traveled to Kazakhstan to help with a building project for a local pastor. I loved how each family had their own large garden! There are many flavors and foods that bring me back to that trip, but one of the common flavors Tatya Valya liked to cook with was fresh dill. Since then, almost every year I have grown or purchased a huge stock of fresh dill just to have its aromatics in our home. I like to prop the tall green and yellow plant up somewhere ‘busy’ where it will be brushed against regularly as an air freshener. The best part is that nothing is wasted. I cook with it fresh and hang it to dry when the time is ready. Every year we end up replenishing our dill supply.
Again, this is a picture of a Russian Dacha (or summer home) but it is very similar to the houses we saw in Kazakhstan, with large vegetable gardens.
Recently I was given a gift card to our local Summit Tea and Spice. It isn’t very often that I buy an $8 bottle of sauce from one of these ‘fancy schmancy’ shops, except when I get a gift card, and that is exactly what I did. I used it to try a new-to-me sauce: Apple Dill Marinade. I was specifically drawn to it because of the dill, in reminding me of Kazakhstan, but I also thought the apple would make for a pleasantly sweet choice for our son.
I was very pleased! So not to say I’m ripping off someone else’s recipe, but here is my rendition of an Apple Dill Sauce. It’s obviously great on chicken, but also on pork. I saved extra sauce to serve over the quinoa for my son, knowing he would like the sweetness and moisture it brings, but it would be great with white rice, a pilaf, or vegetable mix.
This recipe is very easy to make with 4 simple steps, and would be a great one for teaching children a few basic prep and cooking techniques, as well as the joy of cooking with fresh herbs.
Apple Dill Sauce on Chicken
By: vduley
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of frozen apple juice concentrate – slushy (12oz.)
- 1 cup fresh dill fronds – chopped
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 1/3 cup red (or white) onion – minced
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breast
Directions:
- Caramelize the onions in a medium sauce pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the apple juice, dill, vinegar, pepper, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes for a reduction.
- Place the chicken in a baking dish and drizzle about half of the sauce over it. Bake at 375° F for 40-50 minutes. (The inner temperature should be at least 165° F with no pink.) Baste it regularly and as needed.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the plated chicken, offer as a dipping sauce, or serve on quinoa or rice as a side dish.
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