[Sca-cooks] bagna cauda

[Stefan li Rous]

Maire answered my question about what bagna cauda was with:
> IIRC, "bagna cauda" is a hot bath of olive oil, garlic, and chopped
> anchovy (?) (and other stuff?), kept in a pot like a hotpot.  One dips
> fresh vegetables into the hot oil--not to cook, I think, but for
> flavor.  Apparently absolutely divine....especially if you like garlic.
> <g>  It's used at parties, and for appetizers.

Thanks! This sounds pretty good. The information you gave me was enough
to tell me to go look in a new book of mine that I just got last week
as a remainder, "Fantastic Fondues" by Hilaire Walden. Lo, on page 79:

Bagna Cauda

Bagna cauda is an oil-based garlicky-anchovy fondue from the Piedmonte
region of Italy. There are quite a number of variations on the recipe:
some use just oil and no butter, and the amounts and proportions of
anchovies and garlic can vary, so feel free to make your own adjustments.
Bagna cauda is traditionally eaten in spring, accompanied by cardoons
and perhaps young artichoke hearts, but it can also be served with
celery sticks, carrot sticks, fennel, chicory, courgettes, red peppers
and plenty of bread.

Serves 4
50g (2 oz) unsalted butter, chopped
200ml (7 fl. oz) olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed and very finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
10 anchovy fillets

1. Put the butter into a heavy fondue pot and heat until melted. Add
the garlic and cook gently for a few minutes, do not allow to brown.

2. Add the anchovy fillets and mash them so that they disintegrate.

3. Very slowly stir in the oil, then cook gently, stirring most of
the time, for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is smooth.

4. Season with plenty of pepper. The bagna cauda is now ready to be
dipped into.
--------

Sounds wonderful. I love both garlic and anchovies.

I do wonder at the call for "unsalted" butter since you are adding
achovies that are already quite salty. I can't see that the amount
of additional salt in the regular butter is going to make much of a
differance.

--
THLord  Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas         stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****