July 6, 2017
Hello everyone! I hope your July 4 celebrations were all sparkling and wonderful.
Today I have a recipe for you that will stand you in good stead all summer, as it is great with any and all vegetables. Which means I don’t have to publish any more recipes! Not true, of course. I enjoy sending you these recipes. “Bagna Cauda” is Italian for “warm bath”, and that’s exactly what it is: a savory warm dip for vegetables. And please don’t say, “eeeuuuww” when you see anchovies on the list. They completely dissolve in the cooking and do not taste fishy in the least. Please trust me on this.
BAGNA CAUDA
Ingredients:
-
- 1 head of garlic, each clove peeled
- 3/4cup olive oil
- 10 oil-packed anchovy fillets
- 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 2 lemons, halved, divided
- THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT
- 1.Combine garlic and oil in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, shaking pan occasionally, until garlic is golden and very tender, 15–20 minutes. (Reduce the heat if garlic is browning too quickly If you let it brown too quickly, it will become bitter).
- 2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a cutting board and mash it into a paste.
- 3. Add the anchovies and the walnuts to the garlic oil left in the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the anchovies disintegrate and the walnuts are golden brown, 5–8 minutes.
- 4. Remove from the heat, stir in the garlic paste, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the bagna cauda to a shallow dish.
- 5. Serve with raw vegetables of all kinds, cut into manageable pieces: baby artichokes, celery, carrots, turnips, cucumbers, radishes and hard boiled eggs cut in half. Enjoy the party!
HELPFUL HINT: You can fancy up the radishes by using a sharp knife to make semicircular cuts all around and then plunging them into ice water until you’re ready to use them. Radish roses! You can also make carrot curls by using a vegetable peeler to make long slices and then putting the slices in ice water.
I hope you enjoy this – I sometimes add butter to the mix also. It adds great flavor, but it also adds fat.
Have a delicious week!
Best,
Judi