Best Spring Vegetable Bagna Cauda Recipes

SPRING SALAD WITH BAGNA CAUDA DRESSING

Steps:

• Make the dressing: Chop the anchovies and garlic to a rough paste, or pound together in a mortar. Place in a small saucepan, add olive oil and simmer over medium heat, without browning, for 2 minutes, until anchovies have dissolved. Transfer to a small bowl and whisk in crème fraîche, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside to cool.
• Arrange all the vegetables artfully on a large platter and garnish with eggs. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Drizzle 4 tablespoons of the dressing over the salad and serve. Pass the remaining dressing at the table.

BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• 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.

SPRING VEGETABLE BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Wash the vegetables in a large bowl of cold water and blot dry. Trim the fennel of any stringy layers, and slice thinly crosswise. Peel the outer leaves of the artichokes to reveal the pale green hearts, and slice into thin wedges. Peel the carrots and slice lengthwise. Cut the cauliflower into thin slices, or break it up into small florets. Separate the leaves of the Belgian endive and radicchio or Treviso. Snap off and discard the tough bottom ends of the asparagus and slice the spears into quarters lengthwise. Cut the turnips and radishes into quarters, leaving the tops attached, or leave whole if they are small. Clean the spring onions and slice in half lengthwise. Sprinkle everything lightly with sea salt and arrange the vegetables on a platter, tossing them together to create a colorful display. Scatter the fava beans over the top.
• Rinse and fillet the anchovies. In a mortar, pound the garlic to a paste with a little salt and pepper. Add the anchovies and pound until roughly mashed. Warm the olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add half the anchovy mixture, the red wine vinegar, and lemon zest, and gently simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining anchovy mixture, taste for salt and pepper, and transfer the sauce to a warmed bowl or individual ramekins.

BAGNA CAUDA VEGETABLE TOSS

Steps:

• Bring a couple of inches water in a skillet to a boil, over medium heat. Salt the water and add the broccolini. Cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, run under cold water and reserve. Return the skillet to the stove top over medium to medium-high heat and add the 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the anchovies and stir to melt them into the oil. Stir in the red pepper flakes, the garlic, capers, parsley and all the vegetables including the reserved broccolini. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.

BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• In a hot pan, pour a good amount of olive oil in. When the oil starts to warm up, add garlic and turn the flame down.
• Add the anchovies, if using (don't worry about mincing them as they will dissolve in the mixture). The anchovies should cook in the garlic oil until the garlic becomes brown and the anchovies dissolve.
• When the garlic gets light brown, about 5 minutes, add chili flakes until they toast up and then turn flame off. Add more olive oil and salt and pepper for flavor.
• Right before you heat the sauce in your fondue pot, add some minced parsley to cook in the sauce.

BAGNA CAUDA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant and becomes golden, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the anchovies and the oil from the tin and continue to cook, stirring often, until the anchovies melt into the butter, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the sauce to a medium bowl. Serve with bread or raw vegetables on the side for dipping.

BAGNA CAUDA DIP WITH ASSORTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Blanch sugar snap peas and haricots verts 1 minute. Using strainer, transfer vegetables to paper towels to drain. Blanch cauliflower florets 2 minutes; blanch zucchini, pattypan squash, and asparagus spears 3 minutes. Cook baby beets in same pot of water until tender, about 15 minutes; cool, peel, and cut beets in half.
• Simmer garlic cloves in medium saucepan of salted water until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel. Place garlic in shallow bowl; mash with back of fork until smooth. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies and stir 1 minute. Add garlic, then whisk in olive oil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes, whisking occasionally (sauce may separate). Season with salt and pepper; serve dip with vegetables.