Bagna Cauda

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A Piemontese dipping sauce made up of garlic, anchovies, parsley and butter eaten much like fondue. Serve hot alongside raw, boiled or grilled vegetables.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1 (2-ounce) can DeLallo Flat Fillet Anchovies in Olive Oil, drained
• 2 plump cloves of garlic, peeled
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 cup DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Vegetables (we used):

• 1/2 head cauliflower, separated into florets
• 1/2 head broccoli, separated into florets
• 1/2 pound trimmed green beans
• 1 bulb fennel, trimmed and cut into strips or wedges
• 8 to 10 carrots, cut into 4-inch sticks
• Cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Directions:

A great variety of vegetables are served with bagna cauda, they can be raw, cooked or grilled. There is no limitation or rules about what vegetables you can use, except that celery, fennel and radish are considered too aromatic and so are not traditionally used. Some suggestions for vegetable include: peppers—raw, roasted and skinned, or preserved; Jerusalem artichokes; green, white and red cabbage—raw or boiled; fresh leeks; the white parts of endives and/or curly endives; thistles; green or spring onions (green onions are often crossed at the base and served trimmed soaking in a glass of Barbera d'Asti wine); white turnips; and oven-cooked beets; boiled cauliflower, boiled or roasted potatoes; roasted onions. Roasted and/or grilled polenta can also be used.

Blanch vegetables by immersing in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, until just bright-colored and still crisp. Immediately soak in ice water to stop the cooking process and keep them fresh. Remove from the water bath when ready to serve.

Place all sauce ingredients in a blender and whirl just until the garlic cloves are finely chopped. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and heat slowly over a direct flame on low heat, just until the mixture is bubbly.

Traditionally, like fondue, Bagna Cauda is kept warm over a small burner during the whole dinner. Often it's a meal in itself, served with toasted bread and preceded by some salami cacciatore (a typical local small salame) and a good glass of Barbera wine.

Also, a great variety of vegetables are served with Bagna Cauda: raw, cooked or grilled. Some suggestions include: peppers, artichokes, cabbage, fresh leeks, endive, green onions, white turnips, oven-cooked beets; cauliflower, potatoes of roasted onions. Sometimes, even grilled polenta is used!

Serves 6 Printer-friendly version