Dips Info (7 Of 9)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Vegetables follow: ************** * VEGETABLES * ************** The
crudite craze of the 1970's awakened Americans to the hidden  potential
of vegetables. No longer overcooked, soggy, and tasteless,  vegetables
are now enjoyed raw--crisp flavorful, and in their most  nutritious
form--or lightly steamed, dipped in a variety of yummy  accompaniments.
Firm varieties, such as carrot sticks, celery stalks,  or flowerets of
cauliflower and broccoli, will stand up to even the  densest of dips.
Some of the smaller veggies, such as cherry tomatoes  or Brussels
sprouts may require utensils (such as toothpicks or mini  skewers) to
spear the dipper, lest you risk its lost at sea in the  dip bowl.
Always remember to wash the vegetables firs, dry them  thoroughly and
chill.  To chill, wrap the veggies in damp paper  towels, place in an
unsealed plastic bag and set in the refrigerator  overnight. Following
are the prepping instruction for some favorite  veggie dippers.
ASPARAGUS:  Break off the tough woody end at the base  of each spear.
ARTICHOKE:  Cut the stem flush with the base and clip  the sharp point
at the tip of each leaf with scissors. Steam for 45  minutes or until
fork tender.  After cooling, cut in half vertically  and remove the
fuzzy choke ( a grapefruit spoon works best). Serve  halves cut side
down so that the leaves can be pulled off easily. BOK  CHOY:  Separate
leaves, discarding any yellow or very dark green  parts. BROCCOLI:  Cut
off the stalk and remove the leaves. Cut into  flowerets. BRUSSELS
SPROUTS:  Remove the tough outer leaves and trim  the bottoms, as you
would for cooking.  Let soak a few minutes in  cold water to crisp.
Serve whole or halved, depending on size.  CARROTS:  Peel or scrub
(remember that the greatest vitamin content  is in the skin), trim ends
and cut in half horizontally then cut  vertically into strips. Carrots
can also be cut horizontally into  circles or small chunks. CABBAGE:
Remove outer leaves and stalk then  cut into strips thick enough to
hold together, retaining a piece of  the core with each wedge.
CAULIFLOWER:  Remove the outer leaves and  stalk and cut into
flowerets. CELERY:  Trim off the leaves and cut  into strips or wedges.
CELERY ROOT: Trim the top and cut the root,  which is shaped something
like a turnip, into strips or wedges, then  peel. CHICORY OR BELGIAN
ENDIVE: Not to be confused with the curly or  leafy green variety. Has
a slightly bitter flavor. Cut into thin  strips or dipping size wedges.
CHILI PEPPERS: Including jalapeno  peppers.  Cut in half lengthwise and
carefully remove the seeds.  Rinse under cold water and cut into
strips. Remember that this stuff  has quite a kick--wear rubber gloves
when prepping and be sure to  forewarn your guests. CORN: Serve
individual ears of pickled baby  corn. (It's ok to eat the cobs.)
CUCUMBER: Trim ends and peel, if  desired then cut in half
horizontally. Cut into thin strips. Or cut  the cucumber horizontally
into rounds. FENNEL: Trim off and discard  the wispy fernlike leaves at
the top and ends. Cut into thin dipping  size strips. Has a pleasant
aniselike flavor. GREEN ONIONS OR  SCALLIONS: Peel off the outer layer
and cut the tip off the root end.  Trim the green ends. JICAMA: Remove
ends, peel, and slice thinly.  MUSHROOMS: Trim off the stump end and
wipe clean with a damp paper  towel or a mushroom brush. Do not soak in
water. Use whole or halved  depending on the size. PEPPERS: Seed and
slice green, red, yellow, or  purple bell peppers into strips. Can also
be cut into wider scooplike  wedges. The combination of two or three of
the varieties makes an  attractive mix. RADISHES:  Trim off the root
and stem ends.  Sculpt  to your heart's content if you're so inclined,
after soaking the  radishes in ice water to crisp for a couple of
hours. SNOW PEAS:  Simply trim off both ends and remove the strings.
SQUASH:  Yellow or  green varieties of Zucchini. Trim off top and
bottom and cut into  dipping size strips, circles, or wedges. STRING
BEANS:  Use either  green beans or wax beans, or both to add color.
Snap off the ends of  the beans and remove the strings. TOMATOES: Use
whole cherry tomatoes  or wedges of plum or round tomatoes. TURNIPS:
Cut off the top and  root ends of a young turnip, peel or scrub, and
cut into thin slices  (like a carrot).  From Gemini's MASSIVE
MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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