CRUDITÉS WITH AIOLI

This is one of my favourite starters – small helpings of very crisp vegetables with a good garlicky homemade mayonnaise. It fulfils all my criteria for a first course: plates of crudités look tempting, taste delicious and provided the helpings are small, not too filling. Better still, it’s actually good for you – so you can feel very virtuous instead of feeling pangs of guilt! 

Another great plus, children, I’ve discovered love crudités. They even love aioli provided they don’t hear some grown up saying how much they dislike garlic, and you can feel happy to see your children polishing off plates of raw vegetables for supper, really quick to prepare and bursting with vitamins and minerals. 

Crudités can be a perfect first course for winter or summer, but to be really delicious one must choose very crisp and fresh organic vegetables. Cut the vegetables into bite-sized bits so they can be picked up easily. No need for cutlery because they are usually eaten with fingers. The Italian version of crudités is called pinzimino, serve a bowl of the very best extra virgin olive oil you can find instead of the aioli. 

Use as many of the following vegetables as are in season: 

tomatoes quartered, or whole with the calyx on  if they are freshly picked 

purple sprouting broccoli, broken (not cut)  into florettes 

calabrese (green sprouting broccoli),  broken into florettes 

cauliflower, broken into florettes 

French beans or mange tout 

fresh asparagus 

baby carrots, or larger carrots cut into 5cm sticks 

cucumber, cut into 5cm sticks 

courgette blossom 

tiny spring onions, trimmed 

red cabbage, cut into strips 

celery, cut into 5cm sticks 

chicory and leaves 

radicchio 

fennel, thinly sliced 

red or yellow pepper, cut into 5cm strips,  seeds removed 

very fresh Brussels sprouts, cut into halves  or quarters 

whole radishes, with green tops left on 

parsley, finely chopped 

thyme, finely chopped 

chives, finely chopped 

sprigs of watercress 

For the aioli 

2 organic egg yolks, or at least free range 

¼ teaspoon salt 

pinch of English mustard or ¼ teaspoon  French mustard 

1–4 garlic cloves, depending on size 

1 dessertspoon white wine vinegar 

250ml grapeseed, sunflower or olive oil  or a mixture – I use 150ml arachide oil  and 75ml extra virgin olive oil 

2 teaspoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley 

Put the egg yolks into a Pyrex bowl with the mustard, garlic, salt and white wine vinegar (save the whites to make meringues). Put the oil into a measure. Take a whisk in one hand and the oil in the other and drip the oil onto the egg yolks, drop by drop whisking at the same time. Within a minute you will notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken. When this happens you can add the oil a little faster, but don’t get too cheeky or it will suddenly curdle because the egg yolks can only absorb the oil at a certain pace. Taste and add a little more seasoning and vinegar if necessary. 

If the mayonnaise curdles it will suddenly become quite thin, and if left sitting the oil will start to float to the top of the sauce. If this happens you can quite easily rectify the situation by putting another egg yolk or 1–2 tablespoons of boiling water into a clean bowl, then whisk in the curdled mayonnaise, a half teaspoon at a time until it re-emulsifies. Add the chopped parsley and season to taste. 

A typical plate of crudités might include the following: a baby carrot or 4 sticks of carrot, 2 leaves of chicory or radicchio, 2 sticks of cucumber, 1 whole radish with a little green leaf left on, 1 tiny tomato or 2 quarters, 1 Brussels sprout cut in quarters, sprouting broccoli or romanesco florets, a sprig of watercress and a little pile of chopped fresh herbs. 

Wash and prepare the vegetables. Arrange on individual white side plates in contrasting colours, with a little blob or bowl of aioli in the centre. 

Alternatively, do a large dish or basket for the centre of the table. Arrange little mounds of each vegetable in contrasting colours. Put a bowl of aioli in the centre, guests can help themselves. 

Instead of serving the aioli in a bowl one could make an edible container by cutting a slice off the top of a tomato and hollowing out the seeds. Alternatively, cut a 4cm round of cucumber and hollow out the centre with a melon baller or a teaspoon. Then fill or pipe the aioli into the tomato or cucumber. Arrange the centre of the plate of crudités. 

V Suitable for vegetarians. For a vegan version substitute olive oil for the aioli, as in pinzimino. 

This recipe is from Simply Delicious by Darina Allen