Make This: Crudités

An appreciation for the small and simple things

I often have a crisis of confidence around this newsletter, a bit of an impostor syndrome when it comes to the recipes. I’m not a professional chef and I know developing recipes requires more work than the “best guess” approach I often take.

I like to be loose in the kitchen, easy and free. Cooking is a place of release and reset for me. I don’t do well with precise measurements; I find them exhausting, which is why I don’t bake. When I read a cookbook I’m looking at ingredients but never the quantities suggested. I’m looking for ideas and inspiration, not blueprints.

We are drowning in cooking content, the dutch oven overfloweth. And yet, I beat on.

Why? What do I offer that you can’t find elsewhere? The best I can tell you is I’m endeavoring to deliver on the promise made in the title of this project - of keeping things “small and simple.”

I regularly hear from friends and family who aren’t certain what to cook or how to cook it. People need permission to take it easy. I’m here to remind you the simplest things can be the most delightful, and you need not spend all day toiling in the kitchen to put a nice meal on your table.

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I was reminded of this over the last several weeks with the abundance of beautiful crudités we were served in Italy and England. What could be simpler than a plate of raw vegetables?

At nearly every stop in Puglia we were served the same complimentary snack before our meal: a small bowl of tarrali and a platter of raw vegetables accompanied with a vinaigrette for dipping. Most of the time it included what they called “Apulian cucumber,” which was like honeydew melon with a subtle cucumber flavor. We loved it.

Crudites on ice at Coccaro Beach Club in Puglia.

At our hotel, Masseria Calderisi, the vegetables were served each night with salsa verde, as well. It was the perfect precursor to a meal - something to whet the appetite. Unlike bread service, it left plenty of room for dinner.

When we got to England, the hits kept coming. At Thyme, we were served this beautiful variation (with tiny beets and little boats of endive) with an herb-flecked cheese that resembled a thick, well-strained ricotta.

And at Estelle Manor, this show-stopper below, accompanied by hummus topped with tandoori spices:

Back in Charleston, we’ve served crudités since day one at Little Jack’s Tavern. The burger gets the shine, but we’ve sold A LOT of crudités in our years. We elevate them by dressing them in nice olive oil and flaky sea salt before they leave the kitchen, along with a ramekin of avocado mousse for dipping.

In Italy the vegetables weren’t dressed, but in the fall - to highlight the new olive oil harvest - they serve a dish of sprightly raw vegetables with the first pressing of olive oil. They call it “Pinzimonio,” and it’s divine.

The same treatment is an easy touch for your own home version, and renders a dip unecessary. The salt sharpens the flavors and olive oil adds an assertive spice as well as some much needed fat.

If you ARE keen to offer a dip on the side, keep it simple. In Puglia, we were served everything from a basic lemon vinaigrette (lemon and olive oil, natch) to a dressing sweetened with a touch of honey and punched up with mustard. Hummus is always a winner. Or a soft, spreadable cheese like ricotta. I often like to serve it with a thick Tzatziki, using the fattiest yogurt I can find.

Beyond being a proven crowd pleaser for guests, it seems like children, notoriously picky about cooked vegetables, love them raw. During this trip (and thanks to these dishes) we learned our son loves raw fennel. Now we’re home and making sure it’s in the rotation. On top of his already high consumption of raw carrot and cucumber, it makes us feel a lot better about all the gelato our family consumed this summer. (Some days saw two trips: one after lunch and another after dinner.)

Beyond the usual suspects (carrots, cucumber, radish), there are plenty of other options in the produce section to dress it up in fancy clothes. Endive is a great vessel, with its turned up sides, nature’s little bowl. Crunchy fennel. Beets are great raw - slice them on a mandolin if they’re bigger, or just quarter them if they’re baby beets. Cauliflower, tomatoes, and asparagus (make sure to shave the stalks down a bit with a peeler) are great options, too.

The “Apulian cucumber” proved that fruit belongs at the party, too. I don’t think I can find it here, but crisp apples, Asian pears, and melons of all sorts will make worthy bedfellows. Treat them the same, and tailor your dip to their appearance. (In this case, I’d lean away from hummus, but a lemon vinaigrette would still be a fitting choice.)

It’s a healthy, colorful snack that gives more than it asks. A small and simple thing I hope you enjoy.