Best Summer Bagna Cauda Recipes

Summer Crudités with Bagna Cauda image

Yield 4 Servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
3/4 cup olive oil
10 oil-packed anchovy fillets
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 lemons, halved, divided
8 baby artichokes
6 large eggs, room temperature
2 bunches small carrots (any color), trimmed, halved if large
1 Treviso radicchio, leaves separated
1 small fennel bulb, quartered
2 Persian cucumbers, cut lengthwise into quarters
2 celery stalks, halved
6 red radishes
1 watermelon radish, peeled, sliced

Steps:

Combine garlic and oil in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, shaking pan occasionally, until garlic is golden and very tender, 15-20 minutes. (Reduce heat if garlic is browning too quickly.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a cutting board and mash to a paste.
Add anchovies and walnuts to garlic oil and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until anchovies disintegrate and walnuts are golden brown, 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in garlic paste, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer bagna cauda to a shallow dish.
Squeeze 3 lemon halves into a bowl of cold water. Working one at a time, remove several layers of tough outer leaves from artichokes to reveal tender light-green leaves. Trim stem and peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut off top third from artichokes, then halve lengthwise and transfer to lemon water.
Cook artichokes in a large pot of boiling salted water until a knife slides easily through outer leaves, 5-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water and let sit until cold, about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Meanwhile, return water in pot to a boil and cook eggs 8 minutes. Drain and transfer eggs to a fresh bowl of ice water; let sit until cold, about 5 minutes. Drain, peel, then cut in half.
Arrange eggs and all vegetables on a platter. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze remaining lemon half over. Serve with bagna cauda for dipping.

Summer Bagna Cauda image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Number Of Ingredients 8

Whole milk, for soaking
2 ounces anchovy fillets
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 young garlic cloves (or regular garlic), finely chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Sea salt flakes, and freshly ground pepper
4 pounds fresh vegetables, such as celery, Belgian endive, young wild fennel (halved lengthwise), Persian cucumbers (halved or quartered lengthwise), purple scallions, and Romano beans, plus Calimyrna figs, for serving

Steps:

Put milk into a shallow dish. Add anchovy fillets; soak 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels; pat dry. Coarsely chop.
Put 1/4 cup oil and the garlic into a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until garlic softens but does not brown, about 5 minutes. Add anchovies. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Add butter. Cook, whisking, until butter has melted.
Remove pan from heat. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture thickens and comes together. If the mixture separates at any point, add 2 ice cubes, and whisk until mixture comes together; remove partially melted ice cubes.
Whisk in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature with the vegetables.