Bagna Cauda

This dish is a Piemontese winter classic. We use it every year to celebrate a combination of my grandmother’s and uncle’s birthdays and usually throw the Super Bowl in there too, because, Italian-American! Bagna cauda basically means “hot bath” and that’s pretty much what this is. A bath of garlic, olive oil, butter and anchovies, cooked down until it’s entirely liquid and served hot over a small burner on the table. My family always served it with beef and chicken, endive, bell peppers, celery, good bread - and a roast chicken for those who don’t love this pungent meal.

Bagna cauda however, is not only the dish; it’s how you serve it, how you eat it, and in our case, the ridiculous rules we made up around it! In my family, it’s eaten standing around the table - fondue forks or skewers in hand. Bite sized pieces of meat are skewered and left to cook in the flavorful broth, while veggies are dunked and bread is used to wipe up drips and spills and plates. If your piece of meat falls off your skewer and into the pot - it’s officially up for grabs! We’ve had full-on, fencing style fights with fondue forks around this. We also often joke to see who is “the last man standing” - literally…someone, usually my dad or one of my uncles, will be the last person left standing at the table, scraping up the last few bites of delicious from the bottom of the pot. That person wins! I’m not sure WHAT they win other than bragging rights and some agida, but they win.

Then there’s the wine. According to my grandfather, it’s the sole purpose of the meal - to make you thirsty to drink your wine! As he tells the story in the video, the old wine makers, not wanting to waste their mash after having made the first batch of wine, would mix it again with some water and sugar and make a second, less desirable wine. But they would have so much that they weren’t sure how they would consume it all! So they created this dish by combining all of the things that make them thirsty! And this is how bagna cauda was born.

If there are any leftovers, we usually serve them over pasta for dinner the next day. Add a little of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if need be. It’s delicious served this way as well!

Easy and relatively inexpensive, this is great dish for a (small!) winter gathering. You can see that we have a long history and wonderful memories around this dish. It’s something I hope you all can create for yourselves and your family! Worst case scenario, no vampire will come near you and I’m relatively certain this may just be the cure for the '“‘rona”. Check out the episode and grab the recipe below.

Buon Appetito!

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Bagna Cauda
Serves 6

1 stick (1/4lb.) butter
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
1 head of garlic, minced
1 3.3oz. jar anchovy fillets
2 Tbs. heavy cream or half & half

For serving:
Belgian endive, leaves separated
bell pepper, cut into eights
celery, cut into 2 inch pieces
boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
beef (top round or fillet), cut into bite sized pieces
crusty bread

In a medium saucepan, combine butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter melts.

Add in garlic and anchovies. Stir to combine and continue cooking for at least 30 minutes, until the anchovies and garlic break down into the sauce.

Just before serving, add the heavy cream.

Serve bagna cauda over a small burner and keep it at a slow simmer. Serve with raw vegetables and meat - cook the meat in the bagna cauda at the table. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve leftovers over pasta.