When at someones home for a gathering, do you ever find yourself picking vegetables from the crudites platter like a robot? Always expecting the same 'ole broccoli and cauliflower. Boring! Take a look at my Crudites Platter. I incorporated fresh roasted vegetables with traditional favorites. It takes a little more time, but it's a center piece sure to impress.
1 eggplant peeled but with alternating stripes and then sliced
3 Italian zucchini skin left on and sliced length wise
2 cups fingerling potatoes (I used purple, red, and white)
1/2 lbs green beans (ends trimmed)
1 cup Spanish olives
1 cup black olives (pitted)
3 Cucumbers quartered length wise
1 bunch radishes ends trimmed
3 stalks celery cut in 3inch stalks then in half length wise
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cups baby carrots
3/4 cup olive oil divided
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Be sure to rinse all of the vegetables.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season the eggplant and zucchini with salt and pepper in two separate bowls. Add 1/3 the olive oil to the bowl with the eggplant and the other 1/3 to the zucchini. Coat well and then place in an oven safe dish. Roast for about 10 minutes and then turn the broiler on for another 5 minutes making sure eggplant and zucchini are browning. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool
Boil water for blanching, and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Rinse all vegetables well. Once water is at a rolling boil, add the green beans and boil for 30 seconds, remove from water and immediately put into the ice bath. Next, boil the potatoes for 7 minutes and then the ice bath to stop the cooking process. The potatoes will still be firm, but you don't want mashed potatoes. Once cooled from the ice bath, halve them and season with salt and pepper and coat with 1/3 of the olive oil. Place in the oven to broil for 5 minutes enough to brown.
Arrange the rest of the vegetables on a platter covered with your favorite greens. Then once your roasted vegetables have cooled, add them to the platter making sure it stays neat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with your favorite dip.
1 eggplant peeled but with alternating stripes and then sliced
3 Italian zucchini skin left on and sliced length wise
2 cups fingerling potatoes (I used purple, red, and white)
1/2 lbs green beans (ends trimmed)
1 cup Spanish olives
1 cup black olives (pitted)
3 Cucumbers quartered length wise
1 bunch radishes ends trimmed
3 stalks celery cut in 3inch stalks then in half length wise
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cups baby carrots
3/4 cup olive oil divided
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Be sure to rinse all of the vegetables.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season the eggplant and zucchini with salt and pepper in two separate bowls. Add 1/3 the olive oil to the bowl with the eggplant and the other 1/3 to the zucchini. Coat well and then place in an oven safe dish. Roast for about 10 minutes and then turn the broiler on for another 5 minutes making sure eggplant and zucchini are browning. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool
Boil water for blanching, and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Rinse all vegetables well. Once water is at a rolling boil, add the green beans and boil for 30 seconds, remove from water and immediately put into the ice bath. Next, boil the potatoes for 7 minutes and then the ice bath to stop the cooking process. The potatoes will still be firm, but you don't want mashed potatoes. Once cooled from the ice bath, halve them and season with salt and pepper and coat with 1/3 of the olive oil. Place in the oven to broil for 5 minutes enough to brown.
Arrange the rest of the vegetables on a platter covered with your favorite greens. Then once your roasted vegetables have cooled, add them to the platter making sure it stays neat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with your favorite dip.
