Tonight in Food Porn

Bagna càuda, aka Banya calda or Bunya calda, is a hot dipping sauce for bread and vegetables. I first heard of this dish years ago on an episode of the SciFi series Babylon 5. Michael Garibaldi, a character in that series, was an Italian story character, and stationed in deep space, he missed the cuisine of his childhood – Banga in particular.

Bagna is a dish that is a salty and garlicky. I’ve only made it twice before, and this was my third attempt. The culinary experience of Bagna càuda is not unlike that of a cheese fondue, but the bagna dip doesn’t typically include cheese.

The recipes that I have found on the internet range from the most basic combination of EVOO, butter, garlic and anchovy to recipes that include all of these basics as well as heavy cream, half & half, cream of mushroom soup, and cream cheese. This evening, I decided to improvise on Nigella Lawson’s Food Network recipe. I added 1/2 cup of heavy cream to her recipe, and the result was tasty and creamy. Next time I may add Philadelphia cream cheese; it’s good to try different things.

The name of this dish means hot bath or hot dip. Spell it however you please, prepare it according to any of several dozen online recipes, it is a savory dish for cool, fall evenings. I have to confess that my inspiration for preparing Bagna this evening was Dr. Oz. I know, Dr. Oz is a focking embarrassment to modern medicine and public health let alone to politics, but he did recently bring up the issue of crudités, and that’s what Bagna is all about.

I bought a Vege tray yesterday despite the fact that the display case had a similar tray labelled crudités. I chose the Vege tray in honor of John Fetterman (I love this guy), and then I went online seeking inspirations for tonight’s Bagna càuda. Susan prepared crostini from rounds cut from a French baguette – just a spray of olive oil on the rounds and time in the oven to toast them.

This was my rendition of Bagna this evening. It was delicious. Buon appetito, Signore Fetterman.