Bagna Càuda (Hot Garlic and Anchovy Sauce) with Crudités

In the last couple of times I've dined out, I've been served Bagna Càuda.  And, both times I fell in love with it (different renditions), and decided I had to make it.  It became my weekend plan.  I based mine on this recipe.  It turns out that this dish originated in Piedmont, Italy and dates back to the 16th century.  As Piedmont is a place I plan to visit, I was happy to know that I'm already enjoying food from there, here locally.

I preheated my oven to 350°F and put a whole yellow onion in with the skin on a baking sheet.  I roasted this for an hour and wow, the house smelled so good, my mouth was watering, over the onion alone!  I peeled it and cut into bite size pieces.  I roasted some asparagus for a half hour.  I also boiled some small yellow potatoes whole and until just cooked.

I cut them into bite sized chunks.  I started getting the garlic ready.  Some through the press and some in cloves.  I put it into a saucepan with the olive oil.  I added the anchovies (bought in a tin, from Spain) and let it cook over low, low heat.

I threw in a pinch of red chili flakes too.  I didn't let the garlic brown.  About a half hour later, I stirred in some unsalted butter.  I used an immersion blender on it until it was smooth.

It was ready to serve.  Ideally, you want the sauce to stay warm.  I served in ramekins, so I could nuke it a little if needed (which I did a couple of times).

I scoured my fridge and here's what I used for the Crudités:

• Roasted asparagus, washed well and woody stems cut off
• Radishes, cut in quarters
• Green pepper, innards removed and sliced into strips
• Yellow pepper, innards removed and sliced into strips
• Fennel, sliced, fronds for garnish

I sliced some Country bread into pieces.  I served.  This was like a feast and it was dinner.

I really enjoyed the sauce.  It wasn't as good as what I tried in the restaurants, but it was delicious in its simplicity.  I'm sure better anchovies would make a difference too.  I keep meaning to get to my Italian specialty supermarket to see what they have for anchovies and sardines. Dipping food in something is always fun. The roasted onion was my favorite followed by the bread and taters.  All were good though.  I'm going to do this again.  Will probably look at different takes on it (creamy next time?), and I look forward to trying it in Italy!