Winter Crudités Recipes

WINTER CRUDITE SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine mustard and vinegar. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, and whisk until mixture is creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Peel celery root with a sharp knife. Cut root in half crosswise and slice each half as thinly as possible. Keep slices in a bowl of cold water until needed. Drain and pat dry when ready to toss with the vinaigrette.
• Place vegetables in separate bowls, season with salt and pepper, and toss well. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons dressing to each bowl and toss again. Arrange vegetables in separate piles on salad plates and serve immediately.

BAKED ARTICHOKE DIP WITH WINTER CRUDITES

Steps:

• Remove leaves from 1 artichoke heart; pat dry, and reserve. Thinly slice remaining artichokes; pat dry.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne, and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cheeses.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 3 minutes. Add thyme, garlic, and sliced artichokes, and cook for 3 minutes. Add to cheese mixture along with zest. Transfer to an 8-cup baking dish. Top with reserved artichoke leaves. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
• Bake until golden and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Garnish with thyme leaves. Serve with crudites.

WINTER CRUDITéS

Steps:

• PLAN AHEAD
• If serving crudités at a party, plan on 1/8 to 1/4 pound of vegetables for each guest. The selection shown here is a suggestion; feel free to vary the vegetables as desired and by season. Some vegetables (celery and carrots) can be served raw; others should be steamed.
• Prepare to Steam
• Set a steamer basket (or a colander) in a Dutch oven (or a pot with a lid). Fill with enough salted water to come just below basket, and bring to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath; place a colander inside, over the ice. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
• steam vegetables
• Working with one kind at a time, steam vegetables, starting with the mildest-tasting and ending with the most pungent (this will keep potatoes, for example, from tasting like Brussels sprouts). Place vegetables in the basket; reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and steam as directed. Add water to pan as needed between batches to prevent scorching.
• cool and drain
• With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to the colander in the ice-water bath to stop cooking (add ice as needed after each batch). Once completely cooled, transfer vegetables to paper towels to drain. Pat dry.
• Store
• Vegetables can be prepared up to 3 days ahead; wrap each type of vegetable separately in paper towels, then plastic (so flavors don't mix), and refrigerate.
• Serve
• Arrange on a platter with dip alongside.
• Lemon-Thyme Dip
• In a bowl, stir to combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Dip can be refrigerated, covered tightly with plastic wrap, up to 3 days; transfer to a small dish and garnish with additional thyme just before serving.

WINTER CRUDITES WITH BUTTERMILK DIP

Steps:

• Combine buttermilk, creme fraiche, dill, lemon zest and juice, and cayenne in a bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day. Stir until smooth before serving.
• Arrange crudites in glasses (or on a platter), and serve, with dip.

RAINBOW WINTER DIPS & CRUDITéS

Steps:

• To make the hummus, put the squash on a baking sheet and toss with the garlic, cumin, ground coriander, paprika and 1 tbsp oil. Roast at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 20 mins or until the squash is tender. Leave to cool. Put the squash in a food processor, add the garlic (squeezing the flesh out of the skins) along with the chickpeas and tahini, then blitz until smooth - loosen with 1 tbsp water if needed. Season. Mix the rest of the oil with the coriander seeds to drizzle over the hummus.
• To make the onion dip, put the shallots and spring onions in a roasting tin and drizzle with the oil. Roast at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 25-30 mins or until golden and soft. Leave to cool, then blitz in a food processor with the yogurt, garlic and half the chives until smooth. Season. Serve sprinkled with the remaining chives.
• For the beetroot dip, blitz everything in a food processor, except the yogurt and sesame seeds, until smooth. Swirl in the yogurt and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
• Serve the dips on a board with the veg crudités and breadsticks and crispbreads, if you like.

WINTER CRUDITES WITH WALNUT-GARLIC DIP

Steps:

• Cook potato in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Cool completely. Blend nuts, * cup oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano in processor 1/3 until almost smooth. Add potato, 1/3 cup oil and 2 tablespoons water. Using on/off turns, process just until potato is blended and mixture is creamy (do not over-process or mixture will become sticky).
• Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Mix in parsley. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve with vegetables.