Ingredients
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 8 to 10 anchovy fillets, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pinches cayenne pepper
- Raw vegetables for dipping: celery sticks, red and/or yellow bell pepper strips, carrot sticks, fennel strips, radishes (halved or quartered, depending upon size)
- Steamed vegetables for dipping: asparagus spears, artichokes (trimmed, chokes removed, leaves separated, heart sliced)
- Cubes or slices country style bread, for dipping
Directions
In a saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and soft, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 3/4 cup oil and the butter and cook gently, stirring, to melt the butter. Add anchovies, lower the heat to low, and cook, stirring, until the anchovies dissolve, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne (keeping in mind that the anchovies are salty).
Decoratively arrange the vegetables on a large platter and season lightly with salt. Transfer the anchovy mixture to an earthenware pot, or fondue pot fitted with a flame underneath, and place in the middle of the vegetables. Keep the sauce hot over a small flame. Serve immediately with long handled forks for dipping the vegetables into the sauce.
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By scribe_79_960437
Covington, WA
on January 07, 2011
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Phenomenal party dish - this is even better than fondue! I serve mine with meats as well, like pepperoni, salami, roast beef, or turkey.
By Yickemae
Colllinsville, Il.
on December 18, 2009
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This is the third year that I will make this for Christmas eve. My son-in-law said, "are you making bagna cauda again this year ?" When I replied yes ONE BIG SMILE came over his face. Looks like it's a tradition.
By bmccoll1_5311556
Endicott, NY
on April 03, 2006
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This was really good. I wouldn't say that the anchovies dissolved into the butter, so I would probably add them to the olive oil with the garlic in the future. I skimmed off the milk solids. The recipe says cubes of bread, but slices are traditional, to catch any juices that drip from the dipped vegetables, and this helped keep things less messy.
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