Bagna Cauda

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and microplaned or minced
• 12 anchovies preserved in olive oil, drained and chopped
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Directions

For dipping:

• A variety of raw vegetables, including fennel, cauliflower, Belgian endive, sweet peppers and zucchini

Put the oil in a pan with the garlic and anchovies and cook over low heat, stirring, until you have a melted, muddy mess. Everything should begin to meld together. Whisk in 6 tablespoons of butter, and as soon as it has melted, remove from the heat and give a few more beats of your whisk so that everything is creamy and amalgamated. Taste, and if you feel you want this as a dipping sauce - which is meant to be pungent but not acrid. If you want the sauce a little more mellow, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour into a dish that, ideally, fits over a flame so that it does not get cold at the table.

Dip in the crudites and eat.