Italian cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Pinzimonio

Raw vegetable sticks dipped into salted olive oil with fresh pepper – Tuscany's simplest starter.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 fennel bulb
• 4 carrots
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 red bell pepper
• 8 radishes
• 120 ml olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly and pat them very dry afterward, so no water later dilutes the oil.
2. Quarter the fennel and remove the core, peel the carrots, and strip the celery of coarse strings.
3. Cut everything into finger-thick sticks about 8 cm long, cut the bell pepper into wide strips and only halve the radishes.
4. Place the vegetable sticks in ice-cold water for 15 min. so they turn really crisp, then drain and shake dry.
5. Divide the olive oil among four small bowls and add a generous pinch of coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to each; stir briefly.
6. Arrange the vegetables upright in a glass or on a platter and serve with the oil bowls for dipping.