Crudités with Green Tehina

Makes about 1⅓ cups

One of my first jobs in a professional kitchen was at a resort on Shelter Island, between the North and South Forks of Long Island. I experienced a lot of things for the first time that summer, including weekend traffic on the Long Island Expressway and being a migrant worker. But once I looked past the Hampton crowds and the deadly heat in the kitchen (I’m talking 120 degrees; cooks would regularly pass out during service and we’d be so busy, we’d just keep on cooking), I realized that I had never worked with such amazing ingredients before. We got the freshest Montauk striped bass, and from local farms some of the best produce I have ever tasted—produce harvested minutes from where I was cooking it.

The crudité platter on the menu really bothered me, though. I was an arrogant and immature line cook, and I couldn’t understand how the chef could serve just plain raw vegetables. What was he getting paid for? As I’ve matured in the kitchen, I’ve come to realize that a perfect carrot doesn’t need my help. Nor must I vaporize a cucumber to prove myself as a chef. I’ve come to love minimally prepared vegetables plunged into a tangy dip and eaten with gusto! For a vegetable like fennel, simply salting it in advance brings out its essential fennel-ness. Other vegetables, like broccoli or cauliflower, might need a brief steam to show off their best side. A couple minutes under the broiler can give asparagus a slight char that brings out its meaty flavor. It doesn’t take much effort if you start with great vegetables, and you can apply the same simple techniques to whatever is in season or looks particularly good.

Tehina is my dip of choice when it comes to crudités. Its richness is a great foil to the vegetables’ austerity. I like to blend lots of herbs, especially parsley, chives, and dill, into tehina sauce for this dip. The herbs act like grace notes to the vegetables and turn the tehina the most beautiful green color. Thinned out with water and lemon juice, this dip easily becomes a great salad dressing.

● Place the tehina sauce and herbs in a food processor and blend until thoroughly combined. If the sauce seems too thick, thin with a few tablespoons of ice water. Taste for salt and transfer to a bowl. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Serve surrounded with the freshest vegetables for dipping.