The bagna cauda (Piedmont)

Presents: Cristina Campassi

Guest: Nicoletta Shane Carnera , co-author of the book

"Piedmont Style: A Delectable Journey Through Northern Italy"

Let's explore the Italian Regional Cuisine starting with Piedmont. We offer you a traditional recipe of Franco-Piedmontese origin based on garlic and anchovies, easy and quick to make: the "Bagna Cauda" or "Hot sauce".

The Bagna Cauda originates in the Middle Ages at the time of the salt route between Piedmont, Liguria and Provence.

The history of bagna cauda

https://magazine.lorenzovinci.it/recipe/bagna-cauda-piemontese-o-caoda-ricetta-originale-e-storia/

The salt road between Piedmont and Liguria: history, curiosities and information

https://www.laviadelsale.info/

The salt route: tourist routes in the Maritime Alps

https://altaviadelsale.com/ita/#inline-auto911

Ingredients for the sauce:

• Half a glass of extra virgin olive oil
• A head of peeled garlic, without sprouts and cut into small pieces
• ½ cup milk
• 1/4 glass of virgin olive oil
• 200 g of salted anchovies, smoothed and cleaned
• A small piece of butter
• Variants:
• 200 g of cooking cream
• 50 g of walnuts

Ingredients for the side dish to accompany the sauce. Choose something to your liking: from a thinly sliced white cabbage salad to a multitude of vegetables, to plain bread!

Seasonal vegetables of your choice cut into portions of morsels:

• Raw vegetables: cabbage, escarole, cauliflower, fennel, peppers
• Cooked vegetables: sliced beets, roasted and peeled peppers, leeks and / or freshly blanched asparagus

Tools:

Aluminum saucepan

Colander

Earthenware bowl

Wooden spoon

How to make the sauce:

1. Cook the garlic in the milk in the aluminum pan (the garlic must be covered with the milk). Cooking is finished when the garlic is yellow and blended.
2. Pass the garlic through a sieve / colander.
3. In a bowl put oil + butter + garlic + anchovies. Dilute with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture is thickened and blended.
4. Variation: add the cream and cook a little more.
5. Another variant: add pulverized walnuts.

Serve the hot sauce with vegetables or bread or meat.

Enjoy your meal!

Some notes on our guest: Nicoletta Shane Carnera

Nicoletta was born in the city of Pavia, at the border with Piedmont, and has spent many summers in the Piedmont mountains where she developed a passion for the region and its traditions. A lawyer by education and trade, she is passionate about writing, and is a gourmand by nature. She combined these traits to collaborate on this book with Chef Mauro.