Bagna Cauda Crudité Platter

Bagna Cauda is a dish from the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy. The Italians typically eat this warm dip in the fall and winter, but I like to break the so called “rules” and serve it in the spring and summer months as a light dip for fresh, colorful raw vegetables like carrots, cucumber, cauliflower, peas and radish.

Bagna Cauda Crudité Platter

What is Bagna Cauda?

This warm dip with crudité (raw vegetables) was often served for the field workers during the harvest months. The term “bagna cauda” translates from Italian to “hot bath”; cloves of garlic are simmered with anchovies in olive oil and finished with butter, lemon zest and red wine vinegar.

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

Anchovies

Don’t count out anchovies, even if you aren’t a fan; give them a try in this recipe anyway. You can’t necessarily taste the anchovy flavor but they provide a briny, umami flavor that rounds out the dipping sauce. While oil-packed anchovies are traditionally used, I also like using the anchovy paste that comes in a tube – it lasts longer and can be kept in the fridge for easy use.

Garlic 

I always use fresh cloves of garlic, the pre-minced jars of garlic don’t taste the same. It loses a lot of the powerful garlic flavor when it’s jarred. This is because it has been soaked in water for a long period of time. Peeling garlic only takes a bit. As the garlic is cooked the flavor mellows so it’s not very pungent but adds a base flavor.

Olive oil

While all olive oil comes from the fruit of olive trees, it’s not all created equal. Extra-virgin olive oil is unrefined and made from pure, cold-pressed olives, giving it more of a true olive taste. Regular olive oil is made from a blend of both cold-pressed and processed oils. I typically cook with extra-virgin olive oil when deciding between the two. Olive oil has a lower smoke point than many other oils, making it better for lower temperature cooking. Save pricey olive oils for finishing the recipe where the flavors will really shine – like in dips, for breads and salad dressing.

How to Make This Bagna Cauda Recipe

1. Heat the mixture. Heat a small saucepan with the olive oil, garlic and anchovies with their oil over medium-low heat.
2. Continue to cook. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the anchovies dissolve into the oil and the mixture becomes fragrant, about 5 minutes.
3. Add butter and seasoning. Add the butter and stir until the butter has melted. Stir in the lemon zest, vinegar and pepper.
4. Serve. Pour the warm bagna cauda into a small bowl. Arrange the vegetables on a platter and serve with the bagna cauda for dipping.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

• While it’s traditionally served hot, it tastes just as good at room temperature. Since it is light and flavorful, it makes for the perfect poolside snack.
• For a vegan version of this dish substitute the oil-packed anchovies for 2 teaspoons of white miso paste.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this bagna cauda recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Rosemary White Bean Dip
• Whipped Pecorino Dip
• Whipped Spiced Ricotta Dip

Bagna Cauda Crudité Platter

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Serves 4

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the bagna cauda:

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 (2-ounce) can oil-packed anchovies, drained and roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

• ¼ medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
• ¼ medium head purple cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 small bunch multicolor carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 5 small watermelon radish, halved
• 4 Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise
• 4 ounces snow peas

Instructions:

For the bagna cauda:

• Heat a small saucepan with the olive oil, garlic and anchovies with their oil over medium-low heat.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the anchovies dissolve into the oil and the mixture becomes fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Add the butter and stir until the butter has melted. Stir in the lemon zest, vinegar and pepper.

For serving:

• Pour the warm bagna cauda into a small bowl. Arrange the vegetables on a platter and serve with the bagna cauda for dipping.

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