EAT THOSE VEGETABLES RAW

WHEN YOU WORK in fancy restaurants, you do a lot to carrots. You roast, glaze, or pickle them. You sweat, puree, and strain them. You don’t typically peel them and put them on a plate. But at home, that’s exactly what you should do. Whenever you can, you should eat carrot sticks, cucumber spears, celery stalks, kohlrabi batons, pepper slices, cherry tomatoes, whole radishes, and handfuls of watercress. No, I’m not advocating a raw food diet. I’m just acknowledging that you’ll eat more vegetables if you make the task as easy as possible. And as delicious.

So yes, roast broccoli and snap peas and cabbage. Grill cauliflower and asparagus and zucchini. But embrace the path of least resistance, too. This chapter is about celebrating vegetables in their most convenient form. First I’ll share a collection of effortless dips that’ll convince even expert cooks to stop dicing and start dunking. Next are my favorite salads that come together quickly and don’t require cooking—except the one that requires frying up a little bacon, but my guess is that most of us don’t mind doing that.

DIPS FOR CRUDITÉ

GUACAMOLE

When you mash ripe avocado with plenty of lime and salt, you’ve got a great dip. But the key to my guacamole is the simple, flavor-packed paste of onion, chile, and a touch of garlic. Just a minute in a mortar or food processor gives you a supercharged mix-in that ensures that each creamy chunk gets some of the good stuff.

MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 10 MINUTES

¼ cup chopped white onion

1 fresh serrano or jalapeño chile (seeds removed, if you want it less spicy), finely chopped

½ small garlic clove, finely chopped

Kosher salt

3 ripe Hass avocados

1 or 2 limes, halved

⅓ cup crumbled queso fresco (optional)

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Mash the onion, chile, garlic, and ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt to a pretty fine paste in a mortar and pestle (or a Mexican molcajete). You can also pulse them in a small food processor, or just chop them together, finely, by hand. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
2. Halve the avocados, pry out the pits, and scoop the flesh into the bowl with the chile mixture. Coarsely mash the avocado and stir it in. Squeeze in lots of lime juice while tasting the guacamole—when you think you’ve added just enough, add a little more. Stir gently and add more salt to taste. Sprinkle with the queso fresco, if using, and cilantro.

DIPS FOR CRUDITÉ

CHIPOTLE-LIME AÏOLI

Aïoli is a traditional dip for crudités in the South of France, but here, I take it south of the border. For this Mexican makeover, lime juice stands in for the usual lemon, and chipotle chiles in adobo, one of the tastiest canned products in existence, contribute smoky flavor and heat to the creamy, velvety condiment. To achieve a truly awesome texture, make sure to add the oil really slowly—seriously, go drop by drop at first and then pour it in a very thin stream—while blending. If you’re not up for all that, just whisk the mashed garlic, lime juice, and chipotle in adobo into ½ cup store-bought mayonnaise and season with salt to taste.

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 10 MINUTES

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Kosher salt

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle in adobo

1. Use the flat side of a chef’s knife to mash and scrape the garlic and big pinch of salt to a paste. Scrape the paste into a blender, food processor, or a cup for a hand blender. Add the egg yolks, lime juice, and mustard.
2. In a container with a spout, combine the olive and vegetable oils. Begin blending. Very gradually, a drop at a time at first, then in a thin, steady stream, add the oil into the egg yolk mixture. Blend until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture is thick and creamy. Blend in the chipotle in adobo and 1 tablespoon water, and season with salt to taste.

The aïoli keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

DIPS FOR CRUDITÉ

WHITE BEAN HUMMUS

For this mash-up of two great dips, I borrow the tahini, cumin, and lemon juice that grace my favorite renditions of the Middle Eastern chickpea puree, and white beans, olive oil, and parsley from the kind of dunk-worthy stuff a Tuscan cook might whip up. Canned white beans turn out even creamier than chickpeas, so this is especially awesome with anything from snap peas to radishes, cucumber to carrots, and pita to Italian breadsticks.

MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 10 MINUTES

2 garlic cloves

Two 15-ounce cans low-sodium white beans, rinsed and drained

¼ cup well-stirred tahini

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt

½ cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

With the motor running, drop the garlic into a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the white beans, tahini, oil, cumin, lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Pulse until the hummus is smooth. Season with salt to taste and stir in the parsley. if using.

The hummus keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

DIPS FOR CRUDITÉ

PECAN ROMESCO

In the Spanish region of Catalonia, the locals gather around piles of spring onions called calçots that have been blackened over fire and piled on newspaper. They strip off the layer of char and dangle the onions over their heads before gobbling them, just like kids do with strands of spaghetti. Yet the ritual isn’t complete without dunking those tender bulbs in a fire-red sauce so good it threatens to upstage even this special vegetable. This is romesco, a coarse puree of charred tomatoes and peppers thickened with toasted bread and nuts (I use ultrarich pecans instead of the traditional almonds) and electrified by the acidity of sherry vinegar and the heat and smokiness of Spanish paprika.

Unsurprisingly, romesco is just as good with raw vegetables like bell peppers and carrots as it is with grilled ones like scallions and asparagus.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

Active time: 20 MINUTES

Start to finish: 30 MINUTES

2 large red bell peppers

1 large tomato

½ cup pecans

1 thick slice country-style bread, cut into about 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 large garlic clove

¾ teaspoon smoked paprika

Kosher salt

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Turn a gas flame to medium high and set the peppers and tomato on the grates over the flame. (If your stove is electric, broil the peppers and tomato on a baking sheet on the rack closest to the heat.) Cook, turning occasionally, until the skins are blistered and blackened all over, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the peppers and tomato to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let them stand and steam until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the skins off the peppers and tomato and remove the stems and seeds from the pepper. Coarsely chop the vegetables and transfer to a blender or food processor.
3. While the vegetables are steaming, spread the nuts and bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread turns golden and slightly crunchy, about 8 minutes. Transfer the nuts and bread to the blender with the peppers and tomato. Add the vinegar, garlic, paprika, and ½ to 1 teaspoon salt and blend until pretty smooth. With the motor running, pour in the oil and blend until very smooth. Season with more salt to taste.

The romesco keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

DIPS FOR CRUDITÉ

HERBAGANOUSH

My favorite part of this eggplant dip isn’t listed as an ingredient. It comes from the cooking method: When you char eggplant directly on hot coals (or on a baking sheet under the broiler), the flesh takes on an irresistible smoky flavor even after you peel away the blackened skins. I skip the garlic and tahini that goes into most baba ganoush and load mine with herbs for a lighter, fresher, aromatic dip. It’s a great way to add color and flavor, and to use up any herbs you have knocking around in the fridge.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 35 MINUTES

1 large eggplant

Big handful of coarsely chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, marjoram, oregano, basil, and chives

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

1. Preheat a grill, preferably with hardwood charcoal. When the coals stop flaming and turn gray, spread them out and put the eggplant directly on the coals. (You can approximate this with a gas grill by using high heat and putting the eggplant on the grates, or broil it on a baking sheet as close as possible to the heating element.) Cook, turning occasionally, until the skin is completely charred and the eggplant is very tender all the way to the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a large plate and let it hang out until it’s cool enough to handle.
2. Peel back and discard the charred skin and scrape the flesh into a food processor. Add the herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, and ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt. Pulse until you have a pretty chunky puree. Season with more salt to taste.

The herbaganoush keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

SALADS

RED SLAW WITH WARM BACON DRESSING

Yep, eating better can mean eating bacon. Especially when you use it as a gateway to good stuff like cabbage and peppers. Here, the salty, porky product contributes its powers of persuasion—both in crispy fried bits and as flavorful fat—to a two-ingredient dressing. Drizzled on warm, it just barely softens the sturdy vegetables, coaxing out their sweetness while keeping their crunch. This dressing is also great on sturdy raw greens and lettuces (such as spinach, radicchio, and frisée) or simply roasted vegetables like green beans, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 20 MINUTES

1 small head of red cabbage, bruised outer leaves removed, very thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into long, thin strips

6 ounces bacon slices, cut into about ½-inch pieces

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sherry or apple cider vinegar

Kosher salt

1. Combine the cabbage and pepper in a large bowl. If they’re cold, let them come to room temperature.
2. Put the bacon in a large heavy skillet, set it over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it releases its fat and turns brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the vinegar and ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt.
3. While it’s still warm, pour the dressing over the cabbage and pepper and toss well. Season with more salt to taste.

SALADS

SHAVED ZUCCHINI SALAD

Raw zucchini might not sound exciting, but slicing it into thin ribbons—either on a mandoline or with a vegetable peeler—shows off its delicate crunch and subtle sweetness. I especially like treating zucchini this way in the summer when it grows like crazy and I don’t feel like turning on the oven. Lemony dressing, salty curls of Parm, and fresh basil complete the very pretty picture.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Active time: 15 MINUTES

Start to finish: 15 MINUTES

2 pounds zucchini

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Big handful of thinly shaved Parmesan

Handful of fresh basil leaves

1. Use a mandoline or a vegetable peeler to shave the zucchini lengthwise into long, thin ribbons.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the zucchini, toss really well, and transfer to a serving platter. Scatter on the Parmesan and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Tear the basil leaves if large and scatter them on top.

SALADS

BRUSSELS SPROUTS CAESAR SALAD

I wish I could say I came up with the idea of swapping out the romaine in the classic Caesar, because there’s a reason you now see kale and Brussels sprouts coated in creamy, bright, anchovy-spiked dressing at restaurants from Brooklyn to Boise. These vegetables deliver flavor instead of just crunch, not to mention more nutrition. I particularly like to use Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced so they grab on tight to that I-want-to-eat-this-forever dressing. Baby spinach leaves, very thinly sliced kale, or a crunchy combination of thinly sliced celery and radishes are also great to use here instead of the sprouts.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Active time: 20 MINUTES

Start to finish: 20 MINUTES

4 thick slices crusty bread

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 or 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Kosher salt

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, bottoms trimmed, halved lengthwise, very thinly sliced

Big handful of finely grated Parmesan cheese

12 vinegared white anchovy fillets, often labeled “boquerones” (optional)

1. Drizzle both sides of the bread slices with about ¼ cup of the oil, then toast in a toaster oven or 400°F oven, flipping once, until golden on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Cut them into 1-inch pieces.
2. Use a fork to mash the anchovy, garlic, and a pinch of salt to a paste. Scrape the paste into a large bowl. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, and stir well. Then while whisking, add the remaining ¼ cup oil in a thin, steady stream and keep whisking until creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the Brussels sprouts to the bowl, toss with the dressing to coat well, and season with more salt to taste. Scatter the bread and cheese on top and, if you’ve got them, add the white anchovies.

SALADS

CANNED SALAD

When friends come over at the last minute, I pop open a few cans and jars to make this back-pocket salad. What might seem like a cop-out to dried bean devotees, members of Artichoke-Turners Anonymous, and captains of the health patrol is actually a damn good dish that comes together in minutes and requires zero time at the stove. It’s also an important reminder that while fresh vegetables are best, eating vegetables of any kind is important. Plus, these preserved products pass my pantry purge test with flying colors. The key to reviving them is not holding back on lemon, so squeeze on even more than you think you’ll need.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 10 MINUTES

One 14- to 15-ounce can low-sodium white beans or black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

One 14-ounce jar artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

One 14-ounce can hearts of palm, drained and cut into about ½-inch slices

4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

3 to 4 celery stalks, peeled, cut into about ½-inch pieces, plus some coarsely chopped celery leaves

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1 or 2 lemons, halved

Kosher salt

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Combine the beans, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, feta cheese, celery and leaves, oil, and lemon zest in a large serving bowl. Squeeze on lots of lemon juice to make the salad taste really bright, then sprinkle on about ½ teaspoon salt. Toss really well and season with more salt to taste. Sprinkle on the pine nuts.

SALADS

ARUGULA-APPLE SALAD

This salad requires no flourishes. Combine peppery arugula, crisp apple slices, crunchy almonds, and put-me-on-anything Parm in a bowl, and you’re good. Still, one easy embellishment doesn’t hurt: Superquick pickled onions bring the salad to the next level with addictive tartness.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 10 MINUTES

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Kosher salt

1 apple

8 ounces arugula

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Handful of chopped fresh chives

Big handful of finely grated Parmesan

½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

1. Combine the onion, vinegar, and ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes or so.
2. Core and thinly slice the apple and add it to the bowl along with the arugula, oil, and chives. Toss gently but well to coat with the dressing, then sprinkle with the cheese and almond slices. Season with more salt to taste.

SALADS

ALEX’S BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD

In my home, I do most of the cooking. Yet my wife, Alex, still schools me often. She whips up a tangy, creamy dressing made from buttermilk and mayo—yes, I’m down with mayo in my salad—and tosses in sweet, tender leaves of butter lettuce and crunchy radishes. It’s simple. It’s insanely good. I just wish I’d come up with it.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 10 MINUTES

½ cup well-shaken buttermilk

2 tablespoons mayo

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 scallions, roots trimmed, very thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large heads butter lettuce, such as Bibb or Boston

6 or so small radishes, thinly sliced

1. Combine the buttermilk, mayo, lemon juice, scallions, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Tear the lettuce heads into big leaves and put them on a serving platter, scatter on the radishes, and dress with ½ cup of the dressing or more if you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SALADS

CELERY-RADISH SALAD
WITH CHILES AND LIME

These two vegetables are usually cast as supporting characters, but in this salad, they’re the stars of the show. They offer two types of awesome crunch, plus the kind of bold flavor—celery with its snap and radish with its peppery zing—that wakes up your palate. Lime juice and fiery fresh chiles (serranos if you can find them, jalapeños if you can’t) keep the excitement level high. Salty Mexican cheese cools things down, but just barely.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 10 MINUTES

1 head of celery, bottom 2 inches trimmed

6 to 8 small radishes

1 to 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, seeds and white veins removed if you want less heat

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice

Big handful of crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco (or coarsely grated Parmesan)

Kosher salt

Thinly slice the celery crosswise, including any leaves, and put it in a large bowl. Thinly slice the radishes and chiles using a sharp knife (or a mandoline, which is even easier), add them to the bowl with the celery, and toss together with the oil, lime juice, and cheese. Season generously with salt and more lime juice to taste and serve.

SALADS

MUSTARD GREEN SALAD
WITH PECANS AND HONEY-LEMON DRESSING

When the First Lady and I planted a kitchen garden on the South Lawn of the White House, the fennel, eggplant, and broccoli might have been symbolic of our quest to help Americans eat better, but they weren’t ornamental. They ended up on fine china when the president hosted meals for heads of state and in bowls when the family ate together each night. They both fueled my cooking adventures and inspired them. This salad, for instance, came to be after the garden gave us way more purple mustard greens that we knew what to do with. After a little experimenting, I settled on a honey-spiked dressing that takes the edge off the greens’ thrilling, sharp bite, plus croutons and pecans for crunch. I swear the First Lady and I polished off a whole bowl of it by ourselves.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Active time: 10 MINUTES

Start to finish: 20 MINUTES

3 thick slices crusty whole-wheat bread, cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

2 medium bunches of mild mustard greens (purple mustards are best)

1 small shallot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup pecan halves, toasted

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Spread the bread pieces on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and toss well. Add a generous sprinkle of salt and bake, tossing once, until golden and crunchy, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, trim the bottom 1 inch from the mustard green stems, stack the greens, tightly roll them into a cylinder, and slice them across the stems into thin ribbons. You’ll have about 8 cups.
4. Combine the remaining ¼ cup oil with the shallot, lemon juice, honey, and ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl and whisk well. Add the mustard greens, toss well, and season with more salt to taste. Top with the croutons and pecans.