Bagna Cauda
Bagna Cauda is the quintessential communal dish of Piedmont: a warm sauce of garlic, anchovies, and oil in which vegetables are dipped. It is eaten gathered around the fujot, the terracotta vessel with a candle that keeps the sauce warm.
It is a collective ritual that brings families and friends together on cold winter evenings.
Preparation
- 1
Peel the garlic cloves, remove the green core, and slice thinly.
- 2
Cook the garlic in milk over very low heat for 30 minutes.
- 3
Desalt the anchovies and add them to the garlic. Stir until completely dissolved.
- 4
Add the oil in a thin stream, stirring over low heat for 10 minutes.
- 5
Transfer to the fujot with the candle lit.
- 6
Serve with raw and cooked vegetables: Cardo Gobbo, bell peppers, Jerusalem artichokes, and cabbage.
Chef's Tips
The garlic cooked in milk becomes sweet and easy to digest. The anchovies must dissolve completely. Cardo Gobbo di Nizza Monferrato is the traditional vegetable.