Bagna Cauda

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 4 Servings

Bagna cauda, the warm garlic and anchovy dip from the Piedmont region of Italy, fills me with an instant rush of happy memories anytime I eat it. It was one of the first traditional dishes I tasted when I arrived in the region for graduate school many years ago, at a feast shared among my fellow classmates, and it continues to be a ritual I love sitting down to as soon as the temperature drops. It’s a pungent, salty, luxurious creation, best served with bright Piedmontese wine for sipping.

Ingredients

1 head garlic (12 to 15 cloves)
1 cup whole milk or water
25 good-quality oil-packed anchovies, such as Agostino Recca, from 2 (3.3-ounce) jars or 2 (2-ounce) tins
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For serving: bell pepper slices, cardoon sticks, fennel slices, Belgian endive leaves, celery sticks, cauliflower florets, small boiled potatoes, or a combination

Instructions

Gently smash and peel 1 head of garlic. Place the cloves and 1 cup whole milk or water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom. Reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently, stirring frequently, until the garlic is softened and easily smashed with the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes.
Drain the garlic through a fine-mesh strainer set over a liquid measuring cup if using milk (if using water, just strain out the water). Rinse the pot well with hot tap water to remove any milk residue and wipe it dry.
Return the garlic to the saucepan and add 25 anchovies and 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is very fragrant, the anchovies are almost completely melted, and the garlic is so soft it’s falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of the reserved milk, if using. Purée directly in the saucepan with an immersion blender until smooth. (Alternatively, transfer to a stand blender and purée until smooth.) Serve hot with raw and cooked vegetables.The bagna cauda will begin to separate a bit as it sits, so just give it a good stir occasionally with a spoon or whatever vegetable you’re dipping into it.