I have this theory that crudités – now very popular and on many restaurant menus – have never wanted to be as luxurious as the word seems. Sure, the talented chef serves up splendid asparagus spears (maybe white spears?) or radishes with flawless, pure greens strung on antique ceramics. But for this column and in fact, if you only have friends, a plate of beautiful sweet peppers or wedges of ripe tomatoes with a simple and delicious sauce is actually a very modest thing to serve. He might say, “I like you, I like vegetables and I think you’ll like these, too.”
I don’t box baked goods—they can be fancy or not—but it’s hard to deny they’re the perfect summer appetizer—and the markets are full of vegetables you’ll want to eat raw. However, crudités are a solid year-round appetizer to keep in your back pocket.
There are some criteria. First, the crudités should contain nice-looking, but not necessarily “perfect” vegetables, because frankly, ugly vegetables can taste better sometimes.
It’s also a good idea to have one or two non-veg in the mix to round things out (this might sound like I’m going down right away). For sweet peppers and lavash with chili sauce, cashews and carrots, I lightly and quickly blister the paprika to add char flavor while keeping them crisp. In the same recipe, I call roasted lavash: All you have to do is throw a few large pieces on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast in the oven, and you’ll have the best biscuits. The spicy cashew and carrot dip has a texture similar to chickpeas, but is softer, spicier, and sweeter.
Add mayonnaise to preserved lemon for a plate of cucumbers and tomatoes.
Courtesy of Christian RenosoAnd that calls for another criterion: Most vegetables should be crunchy, but not necessarily all. This way you can really taste the vegetables as they are, fresh and bright – a very good way to start a meal. I think a mix of crisp leafy greens can be just as fun as my summer dishes of tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil with preserved lemon mayonnaise. Cucumber adds crunch. Tomatoes are firm and still dipable. Basil is not an garnish here: it should also be dipped with a tomato wedge.
Of course, there has to be a dip – otherwise it’s just a “raw” dish, as I say. Moreover, the dipping should be accompanied by the vegetables of your choice. If you serve multiple sauces, try to make each one special. It can be as simple as preserved lemon mayonnaise, which I invite tinkering with store-bought mayonnaise.
For green beans, gems and radish wedges with apricot labneh and roasted garlic, the yogurt-based sauce is still simple but takes a little longer to prepare with roasting, swirling, refrigerating, etc. Every passing minute deserves a little sweet caramelized garlic and delicious apricot with a hint of turmeric. I top this with crunchy golden garlic and pine olive oil. It is such a pleasure to have a crunchy piece of garlic between those crisp leaves.
Roasted apricots and garlic takes the labneh to the next level as a dip for green beans and Little Jim’s lettuce.
Courtesy of Christian RenosoFinally, there is no need to eat more than two (maybe three) types of vegetables for a dip. It’s really as simple as “less is more” — and do people really need crunchy, raw cauliflower florets? hikama? Belgian dandelion (which makes me say “ahndeev” out loud every time I see one)?
Whatever you make of your bread, have fun when it comes to designing your plate. The questions I tend to ask myself are: Can these leaves or stems stay? Would this paper look sexy if it was more wavy/tight? Does the dish look “assembled” or did I just put these vegetables in here? Are there a lot of green veggies on this plate or is this monochromatic look really cool? There aren’t many right or wrong answers here, but spend a few extra minutes enjoying the process. It’s hard not to enjoy arranging a beautiful dish from the season’s best reward.
Christian Renoso is a chef, recipe developer and writer. Originally from Sonoma, lives in San Francisco. Email: [email protected] Instagram: Tweet embed Twitter: Tweet embed
Sweet peppers with chili sauce, cashews and carrots
6 servings
Nuts, whole-bodied cashews, sweet and fresh carrots,
1 cashew cup
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
3 red fresno peppers, sliced or chopped (about ½ cup)
4 Green, white and green onions cut into thin, separate slices
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons lemon juice, white wine or red wine vinegar
1 A pound of small to medium sweet peppers
In a small saucepan, add the cashews, carrots, Fresno peppers, the white parts of the green onions, cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt. Then add enough water to submerge most of the cashews and vegetables (about 1 cup), but you don’t need to cover them completely. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover with a lid and cook, lifting the lid, stirring occasionally, until the cashews are soft and the carrots are crumbly, about 15-20 minutes.
While the cashew and carrot mixture is cooking, heat a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add the pepper to the pan and rub gently to get a light charring but keep the pepper crisp for 3-5 minutes. Arrange on a plate of toasted lavash.
Transfer the dip to a bowl, drizzle more olive oil over it and garnish with the thinner green parts of the green onion. Serve alongside peppers and lavash.
Tomatoes, cucumbers and basil with preserved lemon mayonnaise
6 servings
Sweet, juicy tomatoes, tangy, crunchy cucumber, and basil with a hint of pepper contrast with rich lemon and salt mayonnaise for summery flavors that come together quickly.
1 1 medium to large pound of ripe tomatoes (a few small cherry-type tomatoes are OK, too)
½ Pound Persian Cucumber
2 tablespoons preserved lemon, loosely packed, and finely chopped
1 Big spoon of fresh lemon juice
1 cup of mayonnaise
½ A cup of basil leaves, preferably a larger size
Cut the tomatoes into inch-size slices and the cucumber into inch-to-inch spears. Season a pinch of salt with salt and cover with a damp towel while dipping.
Add lemon juice and lemon juice to a bowl, then add mayonnaise and mix well until combined.
Remove the wet towel from the tomatoes and cucumbers and place them on a plate with the basil leaves and a bowl of preserved lemon mayonnaise.
Green beans, baby wedges and radish with apricot and roasted garlic labneh
6 servings
Roasted apricots and garlic turn the labneh into a refreshing dip that’s slightly sweet but also salty.
½ 1 pound apricots (about 3), halved and pitted
8 5 large garlic cloves, mashed and 3 thin slices
3 sprigs of oregano or parsley
1 1 teaspoon turmeric
8 Divided tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 A cup of Labneh or Greek yogurt, or “filtered”
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ 1 pound green beans, peeled or not (your preference)
2 Little Jim lettuce heads, cut into wedges
5-6 radish with beautiful leaves
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small oven-safe skillet or baking dish, add the apricots, crushed garlic, and oregano. Add 1 teaspoon salt, turmeric and 6 tablespoons olive oil. Roast until apricots are very soft, and garlic is tender and browned on top, about 20 minutes. Discard the oregano stems and transfer the apricots and garlic with a slotted spoon to the bowl of a food processor or blender (or just the bowl of a hand whisk if you don’t have either). Let it cool completely.
Transfer the remaining roasting oil to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add finely chopped garlic and pine nuts. Cook, stirring, until garlic is crunchy and pine nuts are golden, about 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure the garlic and pine nuts don’t burn. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
To serve, add the labneh and brown sugar to a food processor along with the cooled apricots and garlic