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BAGNA
CAODA
|
 Originating
in the Monferrato area, but well-loved
everywhere, this is a hot dipping
sauce for raw vegetables. A complete
dish which is neither a first or
second course. A happy marriage
between the traditions of the vinedressers
– to use local produce and
garlic, which has been around in
plentiful quantities since the Middle
Ages – and the sharp eye for
business of the anchovy merchants
of val Maira, keen to boost their
sales. A number of historians, experts
on Piedmontese cuisine, also recount
that it came about as a virile,
macho reaction to the cuisine of
the Savoy court, all “delicate
sugar-glazed roasts and perfumed
rose and violet waters”.
When it was not possible to purchase
or barter for olive oil from Liguria,
the oil from home-grown walnuts
was used, and nowadays in some areas
where local history still plays
an important role, some people throw
in a handful of walnuts before serving,
to give it that traditional flavour.
There are 36 official ingredients.
Oil, garlic and anchovies are a
must. The garlic must be finely
chopped and put in a pot with the
oil and a knob of butter. When it
has dissolved the anchovies are
mixed in, gutted but not washed.
Note that the oil must never come
to the boil, so the heat is kept
very low. A glass of Barbera can
be added. It should be served in
the centre of the table in a jug
with a compartment underneath for
glowing charcoals or a spirit stove.
The sauce should be kept nice and
hot.
Raw and cooked vegetables are dipped
in. Fennel, hunchback cardoons,
celery, raw or roasted peppers,
Jerusalem artichokes, cabbage, leeks,
all the vegetables from the garden.
True gourmets finish up by mixing
in egg and truffles. As for your
breath after all that garlic, a
walk in the country should be enough
to take care of it, or so they say.
According to a local saying: “Stupidity
and prejudice, not the smell of
garlic, is what makes a free-thinking,
intelligent person keep their distance”.
|
| Ingredients: |
2
or 3 anchovies per person
2 or 3 cloves of garlic per person
a few tablespoons of oil per person
traditional Piedmontese vegetables |
| How
to make bagna caòda: |
There are
a few instructions to follow in
order to create an authentic "Bagna
Caòda" which reflects
the traditions of the vinedressers
while still preserving the flavour
of the vegetables dipped in the
sauce.
In particular it is important
to choose your ingredients carefully:
the anchovies must be “red
Spanish anchovies”, seasoned
at length, aromatic, then desalted,
rinsed in water and wine, dried
and boned. Then together with
the anchovies the garlic: the
central shoot should be removed
and the garlic finely chopped
and left for a few hours in cold
water to soften the flavour, according
to taste. The oil used must be
extra virgin olive oil. The sliced,
dried garlic should be placed
in a terracotta pot with a little
oil or butter, and cooked over
a low heat for 30 minutes, mixing
with a wooden spoon, making sure
it doesn’t brown. The garlic
should melt, creating a smooth,
creamy white sauce. At this point
more oil and the anchovies are
added and the mixture is cooked
over a low heat until the anchovies
dissolve and blend into the oil.
Great care must go into the cooking
process to achieve a hearty but
digestible bagna caòda.
In this way the end result is
a thick, aromatic sauce, light
brown in colour.
The traditional vegetables which
are served with it should not
be aromatic (celery, fennel or
radishes).
The best ones to choose are therefore
hunchback cardoons from Nizza,
‘spadone’ cardoons
from Chieri, skinned peppers from
Carmagnola, raw or roasted, or
fermented in grape marc, Jerusalem
artichokes, green, white or red
cabbage, lettuce or endive hearts,
fresh leeks, spring onions (cut
with a cross on the bottom and
placed on the table in bunches,
or sitting in a glass of wine:
Dolcetto, Barbera or Nebbiolo),
swedes, baked beetroot, boiled
cauliflower, boiled cabbage hearts,
and baked onions.
Last but not least, boiled potatoes
with the skins left on, apples,
slices of roast or fried pumpkin,
slices of hot roasted or fried
polenta, and baskets of fresh
eggs to whisk into the last spoonful
of sauce left in the pot.
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| Wine
recommended: |
 Barbera
d'Asti, Freisa,
Grignolino
d'Asti,
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