Bagna Càuda
A traditional Piedmontese warm garlic and anchovy dip, simmered in olive oil and served communally with crisp seasonal vegetables.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 490 kcal
Equipment
- •Terracotta saucepan or heavy pan
- •Fujòt burner or warm serving stand
- •Small saucepan
- •Wooden spoon
- •Chef knife
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- fat
- 38 g
- carbs
- 22 g
- fibre
- 6 g
- protein
- 14 g
- calories
- 490 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Peel the garlic cloves, halve them lengthwise, and flick out the green germ.
- 2
Place the garlic in a small saucepan with the milk over low heat.
- 3
Simmer gently for 15 minutes until the garlic is tender and sweet.
- 4
Rinse the salted anchovies thoroughly under cold running water to remove excess salt.
- 5
Remove the central backbone from each anchovy and dry the fillets on paper towels.
- 6
Drain the milk and mash the softened garlic into a smooth paste using a fork.
- 7
Combine the olive oil, butter, and mashed garlic in a heavy terracotta pan over low heat.
- 8
Add the cleaned anchovy fillets and stir continuously with a wooden spoon.
- 9
Simmer on the lowest flame for 20 minutes until the anchovies melt into the oil.
- 10
Transfer the warm sauce to a terracotta fujòt kept warm with a small candle.
- 11
Arrange the raw and cooked vegetables on platters around the warm dip.
- 12
Serve immediately, dipping the vegetables generously into the warm anchovy sauce.
Chef's tips
Keep the heat strictly low throughout cooking; if the oil boils, the garlic will turn bitter and tough. Simmering the garlic in milk first takes away the harsh pungency while preserving full flavour. Piedmontese custom suggests scrambling a fresh egg into the remaining hot oil at the end of the meal.
Ingredient substitutions
- salted anchovies → drained anchovy fillets in olive oil
- cardoons → crisp celery ribs or Belgian endive
- topinambur → raw radishes or fennel slices
Storage
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm very gently over low heat in a small pan, stirring constantly until completely emulsified and hot.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Allowing the oil to boil, which burns the garlic and hardens the anchovies.
- •Failing to remove the central garlic germ, resulting in a harsh digestive bite.
- •Using unrinsed salted anchovies, making the entire dip unbearably salty.
Serving suggestions
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