School of Eating Good, Inc. officially a not-for-profit charity

Sorry about the lack of recipes here lately. It will be picking up shortly. The School is giving a class on Greek food tomorrow evening at CU and those recipes will be up this week. I've been traveling quite a bit, so no time for testing and posting. Don't worry - we haven't gone away.

In fact, great news came our way from the Internal Revenue Service - how often does that happen?! School of Eating Good, Inc. was granted tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3). Which means that we do not have to pay income tax and you can make donations to support our mission and your donations are tax-deductible (if you pay US income taxes). This is a big step because it makes our mission as an educational organization more legit. We can start planning some interesting new initiatives, raising money for these, and bringing food education to even more people.

To get you primed for the Greek recipes coming later this week, here's a recipe that jazzes up plain white rice in a Greek way: with the addition of dill and lemon. I am not a fan of dried dill. Like its cousin cilantro, it loses most of its flavor when it is dried. I recommend you buy a big bunch (it's in season right now), chop it, and freeze it. You'll have fresh dill all winter long.

Lemon-Dill Rice
(serves 4-6)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ medium onion, chopped
1 cup white rice
zest of ½ a lemon
juice of ½ a lemon, about 1 ½ Tablespoons
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ¾ cups water

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, a couple of minutes. Add the rice and sauté for another minute. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low to maintain a simmer and cover. Cook for 18-20 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Lemon-Dill Rice, #250959 at food.com

Illustration: "Illustration Anethum graveolens0". Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Carrots and Dill

Carrots and dill have a natural affinity. They come from the same family (it's a big food family - cilantro/corinader, anise, fennel, and parsley all belong) and taste right together.

In this case, fresh or frozen dill is the best choice. Dried dill, like dried cilantro or parsley, doesn't have the vibrancy of the fresh. As I've mentioned before, you can freeze herbs to get the most from your purchase. Rarely do I use all the herbs in a bunch, but I always chop any leftovers and freeze them in a small plastic bag. They're just like fresh.

Carrots and Dill
(serves 4-6, costs $1.60)

6 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 3" lengths, then cut into ¼'s (see Note)
½ teaspoon salt + a little bit more
½ Tablespoon sugar (optional)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the salt and the carrots. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until tender (try one - that's the best way make sure they are done to your liking). Drain the carrots and return to the saucepan and place over a low flame. If the carrots are not particularly sweet, you can add the sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the butter. When it has melted, season with a little additional salt, pepper, and fresh dill. Stir and serve.

Note: You can use "baby carrots" which are actually full-sized carrots whittled down to baby size. They are usually cut into 3-4" lengths so you just need to cut them in quarters. You need about 5-6 baby carrots to make 1 medium carrot.