Radishes & Bagna Cauda
Even though it’s out of step with the season to be roasting root vegetables, I was inspired by this NY Times article to make roasted radishes in a bagna cauda sauce. Radishes are great, perhaps even more so after they’ve been roasted. It takes all the sassy bite out and leaves them sweet and mellow. According to the NY Times, they’re becoming pretty popular around the Big Apple now. In the article, Melissa Clark mentions a dinner party where they were served to her “slathered in an anchovy-and-garlic-laden bagna cauda sauce.” A what?
While researching bagna cauda, the first thing I noticed is how simple the ingredients are. I also realized how serious people get about which ingredients you should use to make the most authentic bagna cauda. It’s got a long history which originates from the Piedmont region of Italy. Peasants would make it and use it as a dip for bread or vegetables. It’s typically kept over a low heat when served, basically like fondue.
Fast forward a bunch of years and you’ve got hot-shot chefs like Michael Chiarello adding pepper flakes and listing anchovies as optional. (Both of these are apparently infuriating. One of the recipe comments mentions their grandfather rolling in his grave.)
Other recipes recommend using a pint of heavy cream, which was sort of terrifying to me because of the calorie count. To my relief, I found more comments online challenging the authenticity of this version. Happy to drop the cream, I found that most of the “respected” recipes for bagna cauda include both olive oil and butter at about a 1/1 ratio.
I whipped it up really quickly and instead of dipping the radishes into the sauce, I coated them with it while roasting and then put a little more on top at the end. (I threw in some potatoes to roast as well. Why not?) The sauce had an excellent flavor—rich, garlicky, and salty. The only thing that bothers me is that I’m not sure if I did it correctly. The recipe talks about the sauce being “creamy.” However that didn’t happen for me. In the sauce pan it stayed the consistency of oil and melted butter. Really, really thin. Part of me wonders how people would ever use this as a dipping sauce. Another part of me feels like it must be that way because this recipe is so simple. There’s not many ways to mess it up. Weird things happen though… Does anyone know about bagna cauda and how it should look?
Bagna Cauda (from Nigella Lawson)
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and microplaned or minced
12 anchovies preserved in olive oil, drained and chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cc. unsalted butter, cut into chunks
A variety of raw vegetables, including fennel, cauliflower, Belgian endive, sweet peppers and zucchini (for dipping)
Put the oil in a pan with the garlic and anchovies and cook over low heat, stirring, until you have a melted, muddy mess. Everything should begin to meld together. Whisk in 6 tablespoons of butter, and as soon as it has melted, remove from the heat and give a few more beats of your whisk so that everything is creamy and amalgamated. Taste, and if you feel you want this as a dipping sauce – which is meant to be pungent but not acrid. If you want the sauce a little more mellow, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour into a dish that, ideally, fits over a flame so that it does not get cold at the table. Dip in the crudites and eat.
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I love Bagna Cauda! You never see it though. I’m even afraid to serve it at a dinner party because of the anchovy factor and how everyone thinks they hate anchovies. Cook’s Illustrated has a good version. I never thought of using it as anything but a dipping sauce. Good idea!
I think if you want a creamier texture, you’ll have to whisk a bit longer. Bagna cauda is so delicious; I’m inspired to make some this weekend since we have a wealth of fresh raw veggies from our co-op share.