Like a lot of delicious dishes, crudités originated in France and the word translates to “raw things”. I think crudités are one of those things that you embrace as you get older, when you’re more appreciative of fresh, crunchy vegetables and veer more towards healthy snacks.
I’m a fiend for late-night snacking because of my busy work schedule, and usually crave something around midnight. I’m in my 30s though, so the days of snacking on crisps at night time are (almost) behind me. I try to eat healthier snacks such as cucumber with hummus, or olives, to keep the hunger at bay.
I’m currently the oldest chef in my kitchen, with everyone else under the age of 30, which makes staff lunch pretty interesting. The younger chefs love piling cheese, cream and butter into their creations, and laugh at me drinking celery juice and eating hummus on rice cakes, but I just remind them that they will understand when they get a little older.
Back to the crudités. The most important thing is to buy super fresh, seasonal vegetables. You’re looking for that nice crunch, with some added flavour (peppery radishes and sweet broccoli). Washing the vegetables is very important as they are eaten raw, and make sure to dry them before serving. Avoid seasoning any high water content vegetables such as cucumber, as osmosis will cause the veg to weep and become soggy. It is a good idea to have some sea salt as part of the spread, so people can season as they eat.
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Now for the important part, the dips. I find that dips on sale in supermarkets are quite expensive and can have short shelf lives. It’s more cost effective (and often times tastier) to make your own.
For a hummus, I prefer to use white beans rather than chickpeas because I prefer the flavour and texture.
Taramasalata is a dip that you might not find very easily in a supermarket, but once you try it you will be hooked. Ask your local fishmonger for some cod’s roe (smoked if they have it), or else you can use roe from any other fish that you can get your hands on. Lemon juice is the key, and the more the better.
The pistachio dip goes well with everything, and while it is delicious with crudités, it is also great with many meat and fish dishes. Getting hold of vibrant green pistachios will give you a great colour. After toasting them, just be sure to let them cool down before blending, so they don’t turn brown.
For the crackers, you can top them with any seeds or spices that you like. We make the crackers in my restaurant Mae for our cheese course, and it can be a messy job (shoutout to Leticia and Daniela who make them and never complain). If you happen to have a pasta roller at home, you can use it to roll out your dough so it is more consistent, and you can use cutters to mould them into any shape (they don’t expand when cooking).
Recipe: Five-seed crackers and crudités
Recipe: Spiced pistachio and spring onion dip
Recipe: Taramasalata with dill and lemon
