This past Christmas Chris and I gave my sister and her hubs a wine tasting class at Eataly. We strategically gave them 4 tickets, insisting they take whomever they wanted…luckily they chose us! This class ended up being quite a momentous occasion for me for two reasons.
First, I had thought I was allergic to wine (after a few bad experiences in college) but decided it was about time to give it another try and I loved it! Perhaps I was never allergic or maybe it was just wine from a box that didn’t sit so well.
Second, I thought I did not like anchovies but after devouring the salad paired with the first wine (actually a champagne-style wine called Contessa Rosa Alta Langa… which i highly recommend) I looked at the recipe in our handouts and sure enough the dressing had anchovy! I will admit I still find them kind of gross when whole but the beauty of Bagna Cauda is that the anchovy cooks down to nothing, leaving its intense depth of flavor (aka umami).
I paired it with some greek yogurt to make it more dip-able but I have also been spooning it quite generously over grilled veggies (radicchio being my favorite combo).
- 4 tbl unsalted butter
- 1 cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 anchovy fillets, minced
- 1 cup parmesan, grated
- 2 tsp black pepper
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan and add the minced garlic and anchovies.
- Cook until garlic becomes golden brown - garlic goes from perfectly golden to burned quite quickly so keep an eye on it.
- Immediately remove from the heat and stir in parmesan and pepper - It should not need salt because of the anchovies and parmesan so only add some if you have tasted it first.
- Serve warm drizzled over grilled vegetables or as a dip - which I like to serve over greek yogurt (like the picture) for better dip-ability.
Bob says
Ciao Bella from Roma. I hope we can find some Bagna Cauda here!