LOCAL RECIPES

We would love to hear how you celebrate with one another over food (and salt!) at the dinner table. Send us your recipes at recipes@jqdsalt.com.

Check out our Pinterest board with our collection of recipes

You can also see our recipes through our blog posts

Salted from the local butcher and prepared by April Hamilton.

In order to celebrate the revival of our family business, Chef April Hamilton of April’s Kitchen crafted a remarkable culinary feast, on the farm where J.Q. Dickinson & Co. first started making salt.  Every dish was made in our farm-house using our salt, as the family gathered outside the old barn for a magical evening together.

For our family’s late summer harvest dinner, corn was gathered from the neighbor’s field and grilled for a smoky char, and while it was still steaming from heat, we gave it a hefty shower of JQD salt — no butter required.  Slices of fresh summer squash got the same treatment.  A local butcher cut double bone-in Frenched pork chops for our feast.  They were brined with our salt, some local cider, and herbs before grilling them alongside the corn and squash.

Small, local potatoes were roasted in a cast-iron with a little olive oil and our salt. When they emerged from the oven, a finishing pinch of salt was added.  Crispy, hot, potato perfection!

The beef for the roasted tenderloin came from a local farmer.  Grass-fed and flavorful, it needed little embellishment.

To begin our collection of salt recipes, April has shared a recipe from that special evening below.

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

This hearty salad by April Hamilton is fabulous in a picnic basket.
(pictured above in header)

For the dressing:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons safflower oil
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon cranberry juice
1 medium shallot, finely minced
zest of 1 orange
1 heaping teaspoon JQ Dickinson salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
2 cups wild rice
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus additional for garnish
JQ Dickinson salt

Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small pitcher and set aside.

Place the wild rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water.  Shake gently to remove excess water.

Combine the wild rice with the 4 cups  of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce heat to low.  Simmer, without stirring, until most of the water has been absorbed and the grains have expanded (some may have split apart), about 45 minutes to one hour.

If rice is done and any liquid remains in saucepan, drain the rice in a colander.
Transfer to a large bowl.

Add pecans, cranberries, and parsley to rice and stir gently to combine.

Whisk the dressing to blend and drizzle over the rice mixture.  Taste and finish seasoning with additional J.Q. Dickinson salt.

Chill for one hour before serving.

Transfer wild rice salad to a wide-rimmed serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

Salted potatoes and green tomatoes.

Pork chop and fresh thyme.

We’ll be collecting recipes from across West Virginia to share with you, though our salt will pair well with just about any meal on your table. Send us yours at recipes@jqdsalt.com.

Fresh bread made with our salt from local baker Libby Chatfield of Charleston Bread