Bagna cauda (anchovy and garlic sauce)
- Published: 18 Jan 19
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Italian food blogger Carolina Stupino shares her recipe for this creamy dipping sauce that is traditionally made with anchovies and garlic. Serve with crudités or crusty bread – a great snack or starter to share.
- Serves 4
- Hands-on time 25 min, simmering time 35-40 min
Ingredients
- 2 large garlic bulbs, cloves separated, peeled and halved lengthways, then the small green shoots (germ) removed
- 1 litre whole milk
- 8-12 large anchovy fillets (see tips)
- 40g walnut pieces
- 100g unsalted butter, melted
- 25ml extra-virgin olive oil
Method
- Put the halved garlic cloves in a small saucepan and pour over half the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Strain the garlic through a sieve and discard the milk. Return the garlic to the pan, pour over the rest of the milk, then bring to a simmer and cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Strain the garlic again but this time reserve the milk in a jug. Return the garlic to the pan, off the heat, then blend to a smooth paste with a stick blender, adding just enough of the reserved milk to create a creamy, not too runny sauce. Return the pan to a low heat, then add the anchovies and walnuts and whizz again until smooth. (Alternatively, put the garlic in the small bowl of a food processor or mini chopper and whizz with just enough milk until smooth. Whizz in the anchovies and walnuts, then gently heat in a pan.)
- Stir in the melted butter and oil. The bagna cauda shouldn’t need much seasoning but taste it to see. Traditionally we eat it with vegetables such as peppers, fennel, roast onions, celery, jerusalem artichokes and cardoons. It’s also great with crudités, cubes of bread or boiled new potatoes.
- Recipe from October 2018 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 373kcals
- Fat
- 34.6g (15.9g saturated)
- Protein
- 7.3g
- Carbohydrates
- 7.1g (3.5g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.8g
- Salt
- 0.3g
delicious. tips
Depending on how strong and/or salty you want your sauce to be, add more or fewer anchovies to your taste.
Make the sauce a day ahead, cover well and keep chilled in the fridge.
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