Bagna Càuda and Aioli

Name: Bagna Càuda and Aioli
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: Small crisp cucumbers, quartered crosswise and halved; Small carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise; Celery hearts, split lengthwise; Small ripe tomatoes, quartered; Radishes with leaves attached, halved if you like; Little Tokyo White turnips, thinly sliced; Small zucchini, halved lengthwise; Young kohlrabi, peeled and thinly sliced; Small beets, peeled and sliced; Small new potatoes, cooked and chilled; Young sweet peppers, seeded and slivered; Cauliflower florets, blanched for 10 seconds in boiling salted water and refreshed in ice water; 1 cup (250 ml) grape seed oil; 1 cup (250 ml) olive oil; 1 potato, boiled until tender, peeled, and diced; 4 egg yolks; 1 egg; 3 to 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped; Salt and pepper; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 1 cup (250 ml) whipping cream (35 percent butterfat); Two 2-ounce (55-g) cans anchovy fillets in olive oil; 3 or 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 cup (250 ml) olive oil; 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, cubed; 1 or 2 ice cubes, if needed; Salt and pepper; 2 soft-boiled eggs (boiled for 5 minutes); 3 or 4 bread sticks; Poached salt cod, chilled

January 24, 2012

The best image we have of bagna càuda is in the Time-Life Book, Cooking of Italy: a few stocky men and their elegant wives, towels around their necks, are sitting solemnly around a table in a brick vault. You would think they are about to eat ortolans or monkey brains, but no, they are enjoying long sticks of celery dipped in a warm butter-oil-anchovy bath. It’s a strange image, and we were inexplicably inspired by it. Bagna càuda is peasant yet elegant—the essence of Italian food. We love the flavor and the process of trimming the vegetables, and we (bittersweetly) think most people like bagna càuda because it tastes like Caesar salad. We serve our bagna càuda with a dip or aioli and have provided both options below.

Recipe notes

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