Piedmont · Italy by Taste

Bagna Cauda

A warm garlic-and-anchovy dip to share with vegetables. This home version softens the garlic in milk before the gentle oil cooking.

Recipe at a glance

Serves4 as a shared dish

Prep25 minutes

Cook40–50 minutes

SkillGentle heat

Ingredients

4 medium heads of garlic
500 ml whole milk, plus extra to cover if needed
200 g anchovy fillets, drained and checked for bones
300 ml extra virgin olive oil
About 800 g mixed vegetables: peppers, cabbage leaves, carrots and cooked potatoes
Bread to serve

Method

Peel the garlic and slice the cloves. Put them in a small pan, cover with milk and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes until tender. Drain.
Warm the garlic with the oil over the lowest heat. Add the anchovies and stir for about 20 minutes until they soften into a loose dip. Keep the mixture below a lively simmer; do not brown the garlic.
Prepare the vegetables: wash raw vegetables, cut them into dipping pieces and cook the potatoes separately until tender.
Taste before adding salt. Serve warm in heatproof bowls, with the vegetables and bread. Keep the pan on very gentle heat if sharing it at the table.

Ingredient notes

Contains fish and milk; bread may contain gluten. Garlic intensity and saltiness vary with the ingredients. This milk-softened version is one adaptation, rather than a claim to the single original recipe.

Italy by Taste home adaptation, guided by regional references. Not kitchen-tested for this edition.