Bagna Cauda Italian Anchovy Dip Recipes

BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until tender. Reduce heat to low. Mix in anchovy filets and heavy cream. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat, cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours.
• Return the mixture to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly. Serve hot.

BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Put the oil in a pan with the garlic and anchovies and cook over low heat, stirring, until you have a melted, muddy mess. Everything should begin to meld together. Whisk in 6 tablespoons of butter, and as soon as it has melted, remove from the heat and give a few more beats of your whisk so that everything is creamy and amalgamated. Taste, and if you feel you want this as a dipping sauce - which is meant to be pungent but not acrid. If you want the sauce a little more mellow, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour into a dish that, ideally, fits over a flame so that it does not get cold at the table.
• Dip in the crudites and eat.

BAGNA CAUDA (ITALIAN ANCHOVY DIP)

Steps:

• Melt the butter and gently saute the mushrooms and garlic. Do not let them brown. Add the anchovies and stir constantly for about a minute. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over very low heat until the cheese is totally melted, whisking continuously. Pour into a serving dish with its own heat source: candle warmer, electric hot tray, spirit lamp, or whatever you want, to keep warm. Accompany with a basket of fresh, crisp, chilled raw vegetables.

BAGNA CàUDA (NORTHERN ITALIAN ANCHOVY-GARLIC DIP) RECIPE

Steps:

• Trim garlic cloves; if desired, halve lengthwise and remove germ from center. (Very developed green germs can add a subtle bitterness to the sauce, though our tests with younger garlic showed no noticeable difference between batches made with and without a more beige germ.) Slice garlic.
• In a small saucepan, combine garlic and milk or water, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook until garlic is soft, about 10 minutes.
• Drain garlic well. Wipe out saucepan, then return garlic to saucepan and cover with olive oil. Cook over very low heat until garlic is very soft and can easily be smashed with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes.
• Add anchovies and cook, stirring and smashing, until they have fully dissolved into the sauce. Continue smashing the garlic and anchovies until a thick purée forms. (If desired, you can very quickly purée the bagna càuda with an immersion blender to make an even smoother sauce.)
• Serve hot with raw vegetables and slices of roasted onion (if using).

BAGNA CALDA (ITALIAN GARLIC-ANCHOVY-SARDINE APPETIZER)

Steps:

• Place the canola oil in a skillet and heat over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, anchovies, and sardines. Cook and stir until well blended, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.