Bagna Cauda Vegetable Toss Recipes

SPRING VEGETABLE BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Wash the vegetables in a large bowl of cold water and blot dry. Trim the fennel of any stringy layers, and slice thinly crosswise. Peel the outer leaves of the artichokes to reveal the pale green hearts, and slice into thin wedges. Peel the carrots and slice lengthwise. Cut the cauliflower into thin slices, or break it up into small florets. Separate the leaves of the Belgian endive and radicchio or Treviso. Snap off and discard the tough bottom ends of the asparagus and slice the spears into quarters lengthwise. Cut the turnips and radishes into quarters, leaving the tops attached, or leave whole if they are small. Clean the spring onions and slice in half lengthwise. Sprinkle everything lightly with sea salt and arrange the vegetables on a platter, tossing them together to create a colorful display. Scatter the fava beans over the top.
• Rinse and fillet the anchovies. In a mortar, pound the garlic to a paste with a little salt and pepper. Add the anchovies and pound until roughly mashed. Warm the olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add half the anchovy mixture, the red wine vinegar, and lemon zest, and gently simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining anchovy mixture, taste for salt and pepper, and transfer the sauce to a warmed bowl or individual ramekins.

BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• 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.

BAGNA CAUDA VEGETABLE TOSS

Steps:

• Bring a couple of inches water in a skillet to a boil, over medium heat. Salt the water and add the broccolini. Cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, run under cold water and reserve. Return the skillet to the stove top over medium to medium-high heat and add the 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the anchovies and stir to melt them into the oil. Stir in the red pepper flakes, the garlic, capers, parsley and all the vegetables including the reserved broccolini. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.

BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant and becomes golden, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the anchovies and the oil from the tin and continue to cook, stirring often, until the anchovies melt into the butter, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the sauce to a medium bowl. Serve with bread or raw vegetables on the side for dipping.