Here is another typical recipe from my region, From Piedmont: Bagna Cauda is a delicious dish made with garlic, milk, and anchovies. The term Bagna Cauda means “hot dip,” precisely because it is a sauce where various vegetables are dipped: from ciapinabò (the tuber called Jerusalem artichoke in English) to boiled cardoons, from boiled potatoes to raw cabbage, from peppers under raspa to boiled onions, from boiled potatoes to roasted peppers. This is the recipe that my Grandma Teresa used to prepare, then passed down to my Uncle Giuseppe and my mom. These quantities are for 4 or 5 people.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Cheap
Preparation time: 40 Minutes
Portions: 4People
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian Regional

Ingredients

14 oz anchovies (salted, cleaned equivalent to about 7 oz)
7 oz garlic (cleaned, about 10 heads of garlic)
3 1/3 cups Milk
1 cup olive oil
28 oz potatoes (cleaned)
21 oz red onions
7 oz carrots
2 peppers (under raspa)
2 peppers (roasted)
10 leaves savoy cabbage (raw)
10 leaves lettuce

Preparation

First, since it takes the longest, start by cleaning the anchovies.
Wash them under water to remove the excess salt and then clean them well from the bones.
Dry them with a towel and set them aside.
Also prepare the cooked vegetables.
This time I chose potatoes, onions, and carrots: wash and clean them, then cook them in the pressure cooker for about twenty minutes.
Now proceed to clean the garlic thoroughly, remove the germ from each clove, and cut it into not too small pieces.
Now place the garlic pieces in a bowl, cover them with 2 cups of milk, and let it soak for about ten minutes.
After the time, take the garlic from the milk with your hands, squeeze it slightly and place it in a terracotta pot.
Discard the milk in which the garlic has rested.
Turn the heat to medium flame, add the remaining 1 1/3 cups of milk to cover the garlic, and cook for about 20 minutes.
After the time, the milk will have been almost completely absorbed by the garlic, and the garlic will be soft enough to mash with a fork.
Mash it into a cream.
Now add the anchovies, let them dissolve, and mix them with the garlic.
Add the oil to the sauce and continue to cook for another ten minutes, until the ingredients are well combined.
If necessary, mash again with the fork to mince the garlic and anchovy even more.
Serve the Bagna Cauda in small bowls accompanied by boiled vegetables, raw ones (like cabbage and lettuce), roasted peppers, and those under raspa.

Tips/Advice

To serve Bagna Cauda, there are special bowls with a slot at the base where a candle can be placed, which keeps the sauce warm once lit.

Removing the germ from the garlic and soaking it in milk will make it more digestible.

In this recipe, I used some vegetables, but you can also add ciapinabò (the tuber called Jerusalem artichoke in English), boiled cardoons, or steamed beets.

I recommend not using extra virgin olive oil, as the taste would be too strong.

To prepare Peppers under raspa, you can check the recipe by clicking here.

If you enjoyed the recipe From Piedmont: Bagna Cauda, check out other Piedmontese recipes:

Raw veal meat (tartare)

Stuffed cabbage ravioli by Nonna Teresa

Baked cabbage rolls