Bagna Cauda
A Piedmontese hot sauce of garlic dissolved in olive oil with melted anchovy — ancient, pungent, deeply savory, warming the winter table from a shared earthenware pot. Raw vegetables go in, transformed by the warm bath into something altogether richer.
Ingredients
For 4 servings · tick what is ready
Use the scaled ingredient list. Steps and temperatures stay unchanged; use a larger pan or dish if needed. Seasonings to taste stay to taste.
How to make it
Place the peeled garlic cloves in a small saucepan and cover with cold milk. Bring gently to a simmer over low heat and cook for 10-12 minutes until the garlic is completely tender and has lost most of its sharp bite. Drain and discard the milk. This step transforms raw garlic's aggression into something sweet and mellow — it is not optional if you want an approachable bagna cauda.
In a wide, low saucepan or terracotta bagna cauda pot, combine the warm olive oil and drained mellowed garlic over the lowest possible heat. Add the rinsed anchovy fillets. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. The anchovies will dissolve completely into the oil; press them with a wooden spoon to help. The garlic should also gradually break down — mash it against the pan with the spoon. Neither should fry or sizzle aggressively.
Off the lowest possible heat, stir in the cold butter piece by piece until it melts into the warm oil, giving the sauce a slightly creamier, richer texture. Season with white pepper. Transfer to a terracotta serving vessel over a tea light or candle to keep it warm at the table. Serve with raw and briefly blanched vegetables — cardoons, fennel, radicchio, peppers, carrots.
About this recipe
By ForkRecipe Kitchen · Source: ForkRecipe / FoodML and contributors. Recipe content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Serving count is an estimate; check quantities in the source recipe.