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Bagna càuda
Bagna càuda: Piedmont's warm garlic and anchovy dip for autumn vegetables
When the grape harvest is over in the Langhe and Monferrato, Piedmontese friends gather round a terracotta pot of bagna càuda, the 'hot bath', kept warm over a little flame in the middle of the table. Everyone dips raw and cooked vegetables into it: peppers, cardoons, fennel, cabbage leaves, Jerusalem artichokes, boiled potatoes and beetroot. The sauce is mellow rather than fierce, because the garlic is poached in milk before it melts with anchovies into olive oil and a little butter, giving a rich, salty, nutty bath. Hunks of bread catch the drips, and a young red wine is the usual partner. Chef's tip: keep it hot but never bubbling, on a fondue burner or tea-light warmer; if it fries, the garlic turns bitter and the anchovies harsh.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the bagna càuda
To dip
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅛ lb small waxy potatoes in a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer until a knife slides in easily. Drain and keep warm.
18 minStep 2: Meanwhile put 3 heads garlic and 1 cup whole milk in a small pan and simmer over a low heat until the garlic is very soft and squashes easily against the side of the pan.
12 minStep 3: Drain the garlic (discard the milk) and mash it to a paste with a fork, or chop it very finely.
Step 4: Put the garlic in a heavy pan or terracotta pot with 1 cup extra virgin olive oil over the lowest possible heat. Add 3 ½ oz anchovy fillets in oil and stir with a wooden spoon until they dissolve into a thick, cloudy sauce. It should steam gently but never bubble.
8 minStep 5: Stir in 1 oz butter until melted and smooth. Taste: it should be rich and savoury, with no raw garlic bite.
1 minStep 6: Arrange 2 red and yellow peppers, 1 fennel bulb, 1 celery heart, the warm potatoes and any of the other vegetables on a big platter.
Step 7: Set the pot over a fondue burner or tea-light warmer on the table and let everyone dip, stirring the sauce now and then so the anchovy doesn't settle.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bagna càuda take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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