Classic Bagna Cauda 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.

CLASSIC BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Combine the butter and oil in a saucepan and add the garlic. Cook over the lowest heat for 15 minutes without letting the mixture boil.
• Chop the anchovies and add to the oil. Stir until the anchovies dissolve. Do not let the sauce boil or brown. Season with salt if needed. Keep hot over a candle or spirit lamp. (See note.)
• Prepare an assortment of raw vegetables, like cucumber, cauliflowerettes, strips of green pepper, celery, carrots and endive. Serve separately for dipping.

CLASSIC BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a heavy fondue pot, or saucepan, and simmer on LOW for 5 minutes.
• Serve with a platter of bite-size young vegetables (thinly sliced if the vegetables are fibrous), such as carrots, artichoke hearts, celery, cherry tomatoes, green pepper, zucchini, Belgian endive, and cabbage leaves.
• Or serve with bread cubes for dipping.
• Let the guests dip their choices into the warm sauce with fondue forks.

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

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the garlic. Cook briefly, stirring, without browning. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half.
• Add the butter, a little at a time, beating rapidly with a wire whisk. Stir in the anchovy, season with pepper and serve hot.

CREAMY BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Saute garlic in butter until light brown but NOT SCORCHED.
• Add anchovy filets, then cream.
• Hold out about 1/2 cup cream and combine with cornstarch.
• Stir thickener into mixture.
• Bring to a SIMMER but DO NOT BOIL.
• Stir constantly until thickened.
• You can place this in a fondue pot and serve with small, bite size assorted veggies or bread cubes.
• Some suggestions are carrot slices, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, celery slices, cabbage leaves, Belgian Endive, broccoli florets, etc.
• Guests can dip their choice into the warm sauce.

BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Place the anchovies, garlic, and oil in a fondue pot or saucepan. Place on the stove, turn the heat as low as possible, and cook, stirring constantly, until the anchovies break up, about 10 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown at all. Season with savory and pepper and place over the fondue burner or in a preheated earthenware dish. Taste and add a bit of salt if necessary. (You can prepare the oil an hour or two ahead to this point; reheat before serving.)
• Serve warm, dipping the cold crudités into the olive oil mixture.