Bunyaculta Recipes

TILAPIA WITH CITRUS BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Cook the butter and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a heavy medium saucepan over low to medium heat just until the butter is melted, stirring frequently. Add the anchovies and stir until the anchovies dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Stir in the orange juice, basil, and lemon and orange zests. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt.
• The bagna cauda sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and brush both sides of the fish with remaining 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil. Working in 2 batches, fry the fish until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Cover with foil and keep warm in the oven while cooking the second batch of fish. Drizzle the sauce over and around the fish and serve.

BUNYA CALDA (OR BANYA CAUDA)

Steps:

• This is a single batch. As our family is enormous, we will do triple or quad batches to feed everyone.
• Melt butter in a big pot.
• Saute garlic and anchovies. Anchovies should melt away. They add the salty taste to this dish.
• Add remaining ingredients, and cook on med-low for approximately 45 minutes.
• Do not let boil.
• Our family will buy french bread or your favorite Italian bread, cut into chunks, and dip it into the soup.
• We usually have a plate of veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli,celery, green peppers (sliced) and carrots to use for dipping.
• This is a very rich dish, and the veggies taste wonderful when dipped into the soup.
• I am not sure if it is classified as a soup, but we have made it as a main meal. It is a very filling meal too!

BUNYACULTA

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until browned, then stir in half-and-half and anchovies. Heat through and let thicken. The anchovies will 'melt' to add a slightly salty taste.

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.