Pinzomonio: Crudités You Actually Want to Eat

Done right, crudités should bear no resemblance to the pathetic dried-up celery sticks and sour cream soup-mix dip you see at office parties. Instead, this dipping sauce and its variation are based on two Italian appetizers: pinzomonio and bagna cauda. One key is to use the best olive oil you can lay your hands on; another is to serve a wide variety of the very freshest raw or just-cooked vegetables.

You can use whole cherry tomatoes, jicama or carrot sticks, sliced celery and fennel, radishes, endive spears, and sugar snap peas. Vegetables that are strong-flavored, too tough when raw, or simply not very enjoyable raw—asparagus spears, string beans, small potatoes, and so on—should be lightly steamed or boiled, pulled from the water while still crisp, and shocked in a bowl of ice water. Then there are the in-betweens: broccoli, cauliflower, beets, and other root vegetables. Thinly sliced (or when small) these can be delicious raw, though some people prefer them slightly cooked. Once you have trimmed and cooked them as needed, cut the vegetables into manageable pieces.

Prepare as few or as many vegetables as time allows, and store raw vegetables in ice water to keep them crisp, and keep the barely cooked ones in an airtight container; both will hold well for a day or so. Drain and dry the vegetables before serving, and let them come to room temperature. If you’re making bagna cauda, prepare the oil an hour or two in advance and simply reheat it before serving; use a fondue pot if you’ve got one, but an earthenware dish is fine, too.

3 to 4 pounds assorted crudités (see the headnote)

1 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Prepare all the vegetables as described in the headnote and store for later or put into serving pieces (small bowls, glassware, and platters all work).

2 Mix the oil with a large pinch of salt and put it in one or two bowls. Serve the vegetables with the oil as a dip.

Bagna Cauda: This is a little more complicated. Combine in a saucepan (or a fondue pot) 4 ounces anchovy fillets, packed in olive oil; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; and 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary or savory (or 2 teaspoons dried). Turn the heat as low as possible. Cook, stirring constantly, until the anchovies break up, about 10 minutes (do not let the garlic brown). Add lots of freshly ground pepper and transfer the dip to an earthenware dish or set the fondue pot over its burner. Taste and add a bit of salt if necessary; you may not need any. (Keep warm or set aside for up to a couple of hours, then reheat just before serving.) Serve the warm dip alongside the vegetables.