Bagna Càuda with Seasonal Vegetables
Try your hand at this beautiful and simple dinner party starter served with an assortment of fresh seasonal vegetables. In Piedmont, where this dish originates, bagna càuda means "hot sauce", which is exactly what it is - a savoury, buttery dipping sauce. Don't be scared of the anchovy flavour - they melt away into the sauce leaving a rich savoury saltiness.
Ingredients
- 10 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 100 g unsalted butter, cold, cut to 1cm cubes
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- seasonal vegetables, to serve (see our suggestions below)
Notes
- Use fresh, crisp and seasonal produce to dip. Some of our favourites are fresh radishes (halved or quartered), peeled baby carrots (halved if large), witlof or radicchio leaves, blanched asparagus, halved baby courgette, thin wedges of fennel, halved baby potatoes boiled until tender, or even slices of sourdough baguette.
Method
- Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Prepare vegetables by peeling, blanching (if needed), or halving (if large) and arrange on a serving platter.
- For the dip, place chopped anchovies and crushed garlic in a heatproof bowl large enough to sit over the saucepan without touching the water. Whisk together over heat. Slowly add butter, 1-2 pieces at a time, whisking continuously to emulsify. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Add lemon zest and juice, continuing to whisk, then season with black pepper. Pour into a serving bowl and nestle among the vegetables on the serving platter.
- Scatter vegetables with freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Serve immediately while dip is still warm.
- Adapated from recipe by Trisha Greentree in delicious. Magazine
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