I have a theory that crudités, now very trendy and on many restaurant menus, were never meant to be as fancy as the word sounds. Sure, a talented chef serves up beautiful (maybe white?) asparagus or radishes with their pristine, pristine greens affixed to antique pottery. But, for this column and really, if you’re just having friends over, a plate of beautiful sweet peppers or ripe tomato wedges with a simple, flavorful sauce is actually a very humble thing to serve. You could say, “I like you, I like vegetables, and I think you’ll like these vegetables, too.”
I’m not putting crudités in a box, they may or may not be fancy, but it’s hard to deny that they’re the perfect summer snack, and the markets are full of veggies you’ll want to eat raw. That said, crudités platters are a solid year-round snack to stash in your back pocket.
There are some criteria. First, a plate of crudités should have beautiful vegetables, but not necessarily “perfect” because, honestly, ugly vegetables sometimes taste better.
It’s also fine to have a nonveg or two in the mix to round things out (this may seem like I’m backing off right away). For Blistered Sweet Peppers and Lavash with Hot Peppers, Cashews, and Carrots Sauce, I make very light and quick blisters on the sweet peppers to add a charred flavor and keep them crisp. In this same recipe, I call for toasted lavash – all you have to do is put some large chunks in a pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toast them in the oven, and you have the best crackers. . Carrot Cashew Hot Sauce has a similar texture to hummus, but is nuttier, spicier, and sweeter.
Preserved lemon enriches mayonnaise for a cucumber and tomato dish.
Courtesy Christian ReynosoThat brings up another criterion: most vegetables need to be crisp, but not necessarily all. That way you can really savor the vegetables as they are, fresh and shiny, a great way to start a meal. I think a mix of crunchy, leafy greens can be fun, like in my very summery crudités of tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil with preserved lemon mayonnaise. Cucumbers add crunch. Tomatoes are firm and still submersible. The basil is not a garnish here: it should also be dipped in that tomato slice.
Of course, there must be a dip; otherwise it’s just a “raw” dish, I say. In addition, the dip must pair with the vegetables of your choice. If you are serving multiple sauces, try to make each one stand out. It can be as simple as canned lemon mayonnaise, where I ask that the store-bought mayonnaise be modified.
For the Green Beans, Little Gem Wedges, and Radishes with Roasted Garlic Apricot Labneh, the yogurt-based sauce is still simple, but takes a little longer to prepare with roasting, rotating, chilling, etc. Every minute that passes is worth it. caramelized sweet garlic and salty apricot is further compressed with a bit of turmeric. I top this with a crispy golden garlic and olive oil sizzling pine nuts. It’s a treat to get a bite of crispy garlic between those crispy tender leaves.
Roasted apricots and garlic take labneh to the next level as a dip for green beans and Little Gem lettuce.
Courtesy Christian ReynosoLastly, you don’t need to have more than a couple (maybe three types) of vegetables for dipping. It really is as simple as “less is more,” and do people really need to have those crumbly raw cauliflower florets? the jicama? Belgian endive (which makes me pronounce “ahndeev” out loud every time I see one)?
No matter what crudités you make, have fun when it comes to styling your font. The questions I tend to ask myself are: Can these leaves or stems remain? Will this sheet look sexy if it has a more wavy or crunchy look? Does the plate look “together” or did I just put these vegetables here? Are there too many green vegetables on this plate, or does this monochromatic theme really look cool? There aren’t many right or wrong answers here, but take a few extra minutes to enjoy the process. It’s hard not to have fun whipping up a beautiful dish of the best bounty of the season.
Christian Reynoso is a chef, recipe developer, and writer. Originally from Sonoma, he lives in San Francisco. Email: food@sfchronicle.com Instagram: @cristianreynoso Twitter: @xtianreynoso
Sweet peppers in blisters with spicy sauce of peppers, cashews and carrots
6 servings
Walnut, full-bodied cashews, sweet and fresh carrots,
1 cup of cashews
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) Save $
3 red Fresno bell peppers, stemmed and chopped (about ½ cup) Save $
4 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced and separated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 tablespoons olive oil plus more to serve
two tablespoons lemon juice, white wine, or red wine vinegar Save $
1 pound small to medium sweet bell peppers Save $
In a small pot, add the cashews, carrots, Fresno peppers, white parts of the spring onion, 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. Turn heat to medium high, cover with lid and cook, lifting lid to stir occasionally until cashews are soft and carrots fall apart, about 15-20 minutes.
While the cashew-carrot mixture is cooking, heat a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add the peppers to the skillet and lightly blister so they burn slightly, but keep the peppers crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Arrange in a bowl with the toasted lavash.
Transfer the sauce to a bowl, drizzle more olive oil on top and garnish with the green parts of the thinly sliced spring onion. Serve alongside the peppers and lavash.
Preserved Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Basil with Lemon Mayonnaise
6 servings
Sweet and juicy tomatoes, crisp and refreshing cucumbers and basil with its touch of pepper contrast with the very salty mayonnaise and lemon for a summery crudités that comes together quickly.
1 pound medium to large ripe tomatoes (a few small cherry tomatoes are fine too) Save $
½ persian cucumber pound
two tablespoons finely chopped canned lemon, loosely
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 mayonnaise cup
½ cup basil leaves, preferably larger
Cut the tomatoes into ½-inch wedges and the cucumbers into ¼- to ½-inch spears. Season both lightly with salt and cover with a damp towel while you dip.
Add the preserved lemon and lemon juice to a bowl, then add the mayonnaise and mix well to combine.
Lift the damp towel off the tomatoes and cucumbers and place them on a plate with the basil leaves and the bowl of preserved lemon mayonnaise.
Green Beans, Little Gem Wedges, and Radishes with Garlic Labneh and Roasted Apricot
6 servings
Roasted apricots and garlic turn labneh into a tangy sauce that is slightly sweet, but also flavorful.
½ pound apricots (about 3), halved and pitted Save $
8 large garlic cloves, 5 crushed and 3 thinly sliced Save $
3 sprigs of oregano or parsley
1 teaspoon of turmeric
8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
two tablespoons of pine nuts
1 cup labneh, or Greek yogurt or “strained”
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
¼ pound green beans, deveined or not (your preference)
two Little Gem lettuce heads, cut into wedges
5-6 radishes with pretty leaves
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small oven-safe skillet or baking dish, add the apricots, crushed garlic, and oregano. Mix with 1 teaspoon of salt, turmeric and 6 tablespoons of olive oil. Grill, uncovered, until apricots are very tender, garlic soft and golden on top, about 20 minutes. Discard the oregano stems and using a slotted spoon, transfer the apricot and garlic to the bowl of a food processor or blender (or just a bowl with a hand whisk if you don’t have one). Let cool completely.
Transfer the remaining grilling oil to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the thinly sliced garlic and pine nuts. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is crisp and the pine nuts are golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure the garlic and pine nuts don’t burn. Turn off the heat and let cool completely.
To serve, add the labneh and brown sugar to the food processor with the cooled apricot and garlic.