Bagna Cauda

I would venture to guess that unless your last name is Cobetto, you haven't heard of this before- but bear with me... According to wikipedia- Bagna Cauda originates from Piedmont, Italy and it translates roughly in Italian to "hot bath." My grandfather aka "Pops" and my dad have been making this forever. I remember being at my grandparents house as a little kid... I wasn't tall enough to see the kitchen counter top, but standing on my tip-toes I could reach up just enough to dunk a celery stick or slice of bread into the warm-buttery-goodness. I had no idea what it was, but I knew I loved it.

If you tried to explain this concoction to a 5 year old, I'm pretty sure they would run and hide from you, but let this be proof that ANYONE would love this dish.

Traditionally our family prepares it in a small cast iron skillet over the stove. You start with a generous swirl olive oil over med/med-high heat. You then add LOTS of peeled garlic cloves whole- I'm talking 10 cloves. If they are large you might cut them in half or quarters. You toast them slowly in the oil until they are perfectly golden brown. As soon as they start to get some color on them, you add 1 whole small tin of anchovy fillets. (You want good quality for this.) STAY WITH ME... You might think you don't like anchovies but please keep reading, I promise you this might change your mind.

As soon as your garlic is nice and golden- you add 3/4 of a stick of butter- you can just chunk it in there whole if you like and let it melt down with the toasted garlic and anchovies. Let the whole thing simmer over med-low heat (it should bubble slightly) until it all melts together and the anchovies dissolve. (They do! They dissolve completely! Leaving only the most delicious briny flavor behind. You could serve this to someone and they'd never know you had anchovies in here at all.) This might take you 10 minutes or so, you can't really mess it up.

Serve hot - we normally just serve right in the skillet -per the picture -in case we want to rewarm it as we go. For dipping you'll need sliced fresh bread and raw vegetables. The best vegetables for dunking are celery, bell peppers, cauliflower, mushrooms, and radishes. I have also done steamed whole artichokes with this as well, dunking the leaves into "hot bath" instead of lemon butter.

For the grand finale you scoop the garlic pieces up with the bread. (Mom will show you below.) The flavor is very mild having cooked through in the process of toasting. I'm telling you- this stuff is fantastic. It is the perfect appetizer for a group- its fun and delicious. Although we often make a meal of it with some cheese and Italian meats for snacking on the side... and wine...You're going to want some red Italian wine too...

This is a Cobetto family favorite that I hope you're adventurous enough to try. You'll thank me! Buon Appetito!