Bagna Cauda
A hot Piedmontese anchovy-and-garlic dip dating to the Middle Ages, born from the historic Via del Sale (Salt Road) trade, when Piedmontese farmers traveled to the Ligurian coast to exchange cheese for salt-preserved anchovies. Traditionally tied to the grape harvest, eaten communally around a shared warmed pot with raw and blanched vegetables for dipping. There's no cheese in real bagna cauda — the emulsion is purely oil, garlic, and anchovy — and the garlic is soaked in milk for hours beforehand to mellow its sharpness, a real step often skipped.
Seafood
⚠ Contains: Fish, Dairy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 10-12 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Whole milk, for soaking the garlic
- 150g anchovy fillets
- 150ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 30g butter (optional)
- Cardoons or celery, bell peppers, cabbage leaves, carrots, and cauliflower, for dipping
Steps
- Soak the sliced garlic in milk for several hours, changing the milk once, then drain.
- Gently cook the garlic in olive oil over very low heat, never browning it, until soft and starting to dissolve, about 20-30 minutes.
- Add the anchovies and mash them into the oil as they melt, stirring continuously, for another 15-20 minutes, until smooth and pale golden.
- Stir in the butter at the end if using.
- Transfer to a warmed pot kept hot at the table, and serve with raw and lightly blanched vegetables for dipping.