Reviewed: Jun. 8, 2012

My dad grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where many nationalities settled in search of work in the mines. We're Scandinavian but I think we consider our "family dishes" to be pasties (Welsh) and bagna cauda (Italian). People seem to be in two camps with bagna - love it or hate it. I make it and invite my mom and sister over while my husband has to leave the house. Don't let that scare you - this is a delicious dish. Garlic lovers will love this!!

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Reviewer:

4paws

Reviewed: Oct. 11, 2010

We make it with Anchovies and Tuna, butter EVOO, and massive amounts of garlic. Served with fresh baked italian bread. Man so good! Going to make some tonight. No milk or cream though, that would make it into a gravy.

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Reviewer:

Cyn

Home Town: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2010

I grew up eating this dish in Argentina. We add chopped walnuts!

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Liliana Passarini

Reviewed: Dec. 31, 2009

I use Bagna Cauda as a base for my clam sauce. I use olive oil instead of cream and add white wine and fresh clams. It's a family favorite!

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Reviewer:

loririddle

Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

My friends and I absolutely love this dish. We always have to make 3 different versions one regular, one without cream and one with tuna instead of anchovies. Tuna makes a great variation of this wonderful recipe. Also we saute the garlic and the anchovies/tuna for a bit before adding the other ingredients then blend till smooth after it cooks. The only time we refrigerate is the left overs.

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Reviewer:

Twilla97

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Taylorville, Illinois, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 11, 2009

Like many Americans, for much of my life I totally avoided ever even trying anchovies. Then while dining in an Italian restaurant one evening, the host ordered anchovies to add to his spaghetti dish. I was intrigued,and gave them a try. I was quite surprised to discover that I REALLY liked the fishy/salty taste of these little fishies. The reason I bring up the above is because of the extreme flavor that the anchovies bring to this dip. If you don't like the strong flavor of anchovies, you probably won't like this dish. The garlic is just an added attraction! I have never been to Italy, so my exposure to Italian food has been entirely of the American variety. I have tried several variations of Bagna that are heavy on olive oil, and I found them less enjoyable. This version that uses heavy cream was - to my taste - truly excellent. Thank you Julie P. for sharing!

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Reviewer:

Smokin Mike

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Houston, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 20, 2008

Good Bagna Cauda! This is a slightly different recipe than the one passed down in my family. It was a nice twist, but I prefer my recipe overall. I use only butter, garlic, and anchovy paste. But this recipe still was good!

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Reviewer:

Amanda

Reviewed: Oct. 16, 2008

And I thought WE were the only ones who ate this! We have this every New Year's - handed down through many generations of my family. We do it just a little different. We use 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 real butter and saute' the anchovies and garlic over low heat until they fall apart. We then put it in a fondue pot and add the cream about 6 oz. at a time. We fondue steamed cabbage wedges and raw mushrooms and catch the drips with the crusty Italian bread. When the bagna cauda starts to thicken, add some more cream and let warm up before dipping some more. When I was younger, we tried this out on our boyfriends. If they didn't like it or wouldn't try it, they weren't keepers! Luckily, my husband and brother-in-law love it!

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Reviewer:

Susan

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Sep. 26, 2008

OMG!!! Someone actually makes this recipe the same way (well almost) my dad did when I was a little girl. I'm now 56 years old. Most Bagna Calda recipes don't add the cream, but my dad always did. He actually added evaporated milk. This recipe is awesome - brings back some old memories !!!!!

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Reviewer:

Bambino

Reviewed: Feb. 25, 2008

I thought this was something only my dad made for my family on fondue night. When we do it, we use an electric skillet on med-low, start with two sticks of butter, some olive oil, approx. a whole garlic bulb, and the 2 cans of anchovies. Once we soak up most of the liquid, we add in another stick of butter if we want it. We also dip cabbage, veggies, meat, and bread in ours. I have never hear of/tried it with cream...bet it is good! I do not suggest mixing half cream and half olive oil. It's probably good either way, but not combined. Just don't burn the butter and cook it nice and slow until the anchovies dissolve...YUMMY!

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