Crudités with garlic and anchovy dressing
This punchy anchovy-based dressing – similar to the Italian classic bagna cauda – is a year-round favourite and easy to whip up from the sort of ingredients you’re likely to have in your store-cupboard and fridge. It’s a superb accompaniment to all kinds of veg – raw or cooked. We love it as a dip for crunchy summer crudités, but also serve it as a dressing for steamed purple sprouting broccoli, calabrese, cauliflower and kale. It will keep happily in a jar in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks. It will probably separate, but can be re-emulsified by shaking or whisking.
Servs 4
Method
For the dressing, simply blitz all the ingredients together in a blender until completely smooth. Or, if you are using fresh chilli, you might prefer to chop it very finely by hand, then stir it into the blitzed dressing to give it a little texture.
Leave the dressing for half an hour or so, to allow the flavours to mingle and develop, then transfer to a large bowl.
Prepare the crudités: halve or quarter lengthways the lettuce hearts and larger baby vegetables, such as courgettes and carrots. Leave the smaller ones, such as pea pods and radishes, whole. Arrange them on a platter and serve with the dressing.
Ingredients
For the crudités:
- A selection of raw baby vegetables, such as carrots, courgettes, beetroot, lettuce hearts, radishes, fresh young peas in pods and tender celery stems
For the dressing:
- 50g anchovy fillets, drained
- 150ml olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- Leaves from a sprig of thyme
- A few basil leaves (optional)
- ½ small red chilli, or a pinch of dried chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dijon or English mustard
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar or wine vinegar
- A few twists of black pepper
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Veg Cookery
Who needs meat? During the River Cottage Veg cookery course you'll learn to turn local, seasonal produce into delicious veggie dishes.
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