The cardoon in bagna cauda is an ancient Piedmontese recipe passed down from my grandmother Assunta to my aunt, then to my mother, and finally to me.
A recipe that takes me back to when I was a child in my grandparents’ big house where we all lived together.
It was customary to prepare it during the Christmas holidays, on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve.
It is a flavorful recipe as it is based on salt-cured anchovies, garlic, and cardoon, which is slowly cooked in the bagna cauda until it absorbs all the flavor.
All the ingredients are cooked separately and then combined and cooked together.
The bagna cauda is also used as a dressing for fresh vegetables, but with cardoon, it’s a real delicacy.
It is enjoyed hot, and it is a must to do the “scarpetta”.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter
Ingredients for Preparing Cardoon in Bagna Cauda
- 5.3 oz garlic
- 3.5 oz salt-cured anchovies
- 7 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 1.3 cups whole milk
- 14 oz cardoon
Tools
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Wooden Spoon
Steps
To prepare the delicious cardoon in bagna cauda, we start by cleaning the cardoon, removing all the filaments, and washing it thoroughly under running water. Peel the garlic and cut it in half, remove the green germ and chop it into fairly small pieces. Rinse the salt-cured anchovies to remove the salt.
Then, on a cutting board, cut the cardoon into medium pieces. Meanwhile, bring a pot of abundant water to a boil where we will cook the cardoon for about 10 minutes.
In a saucepan, pour the milk and the chopped garlic and cook for twenty minutes over low heat until the garlic becomes very soft.
Meanwhile, in a non-stick frying pan add the extra virgin olive oil and the anchovies and cook them over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until they melt.
After the cooking times have passed, add the milk with the garlic to the oil and anchovies, mix well, so the garlic mashes, drain the cardoon and add it to our sauce. Then cook everything for another twenty minutes, always stirring and over low heat. If it dries out too much, add a bit of milk halfway through cooking.
The cardoon in bagna cauda is ready to be enjoyed… enjoy the tasting!
Storage and Notes
The cardoon in bagna cauda can be stored in the fridge for two days and it is recommended to reheat before consuming.
