When I went home for Christmas this year my grandpa passed on a great family recipe for Bagna Cauda, which is a traditional garlic dip from the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, eaten with fresh cut veggies. I got the idea to post some pictures from this special event from Erbe in Cucina who has another version of this recipe on her blog.
There are several versions of this recipe due to large scale immigration in the late 1800s and, like most Italian recipes, to simple location variations. For example, Erbe's version uses butter, my grandpa told me the original recipe from his grandparents included cream which was then left out from the recipe we use because they just couldn't afford cream at that time.
Unfortunately I don't feel I have the right to post the full recipe. I might change my mind later, but at this point it would feel like a violation of a family secret. Let me say this though, the key to good Bagna Cauda is cooking the garlic for a long time, over very low heat. I guess this breaks down the acidity which causes a bad after taste and helps to avoid upset tummies-also my great grandmother told us always, never drink water because water and oil don't mix and will lead to upset tummies, that goes for drinking milk too, because it will curdle due to the hot temperature of the Bagna....so, the only option is to drink wine! Isn't that convenient! We usually drink a bottle of my grandpa's Zinfandel or Syrrah. Yum.
Look at all that yummy garlic 
The top picture on the right is my grandma being the supervisor...she took over the role when my grandma Lucy died, I think I'll take over when it's time.
In the picture directly to the right I think I am already getting in the groove, telling grandma she can't use her bread as a dish, just as an oil drip catcher (one of the fundamental grandma Lucy rules) -ha!
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2 comments:
Hey there,
First of all thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate it.
Second...how did you end up in Italy from CA?
Here is a recipe for homemade wonton wrappers...
Ingredients:
•1 egg
•3/4 teaspoon salt
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1/3 to 1/2 cup water, as needed
•Extra flour as needed
Preparation:
Lightly beat the egg with the salt. Add 1/4 cup water.
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the egg and water mixture. Mix in with the flour. Add as much of the remaining water as necessary to form a dough. (Add more water than the recipe calls for if the dough is too dry).
Form the dough into a ball and knead for about 5 minutes, or until it forms a smooth, workable dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out until very thin, and cut into 3 1/2-inch squares. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
I hope that helps.
excellent! I wonder if a sfoglia (puff pastry) would work too...gotta try it! thanks for the recipe
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