A traditional bagna cauda (‘hot bath’ in Italian) is a rich sauce from the Piedmont region of Italy that is simple in ingredients but complex in flavor. Made with olive oil, butter and anchovies, its depth of flavor adds a lovely salty decadence to a number of dishes. Oftentimes served with veggies as a dip (in fact, I remember having it for the first time in Venice with a plate of crudites before a meal), as a quick pasta sauce with spaghettini, or drizzled over a warm baguette slice. For this recipe, I tossed some blanched red radishes right into the sauce, which I also flavored with some thinly sliced garlic for an added punch of flavor.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Radishes in Bagna Cauda
Ingredients:
- 2 cups radishes, halved or quartered if large
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 anchovy fillets (packed in oil)
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- splash of dry white wine
- salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley or oregano for serving
Directions:
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add in the cut radishes and cook for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
- In a large saute pan, heat the oil, butter, crushed red pepper and anchovies over medium-low heat. Cook, breaking up the anchovies into the sauce as they melt, for about 3 minutes. Add the splash of wine and cook another 30 seconds; then add in the blanched radishes to the warm sauce ; toss to coat. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve warm with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.
Tagged: 'hot bath', anchovies, anchovy butter sauce, anchovy fillets, bagna cauda, butter, butter sauce, butter-anchovy sauce, crudites, garlic, Italian, Italy, olive oil, Piedmont, radishes, radishes in bagna cauda, white wine
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