For all my fellow anchovy lovers, here’s a riff on Italian “bagna cauda”. Traditionally bagna cauda (translation: hot bath) is a warm fondue-like sauce made from garlic, anchovies, and olive oil used for dipping raw vegetables. Thanks to Chef Justin Smillie for inventing a spinach salad with a bagna couda-like anchovy vinaigrette dressing. My version of Justin’s original recipe includes garlic and red pepper flakes in the vinaigrette out of respect for the flavor of the traditional sauce and adds chopped bacon and chopped hard-boiled egg to make the salad a flavorful, satisfying light meal by itself. Some crusty bread and a glass of wine and life is good. Close your eyes and you could be on the Mediterranean coast of Italy.
Ingredients:
Serves: 4-6
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 anchovies, finely chopped
3 large cloves of garlic sliced crosswise
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup coarse dry bread crumbs (Panko bread crumbs work well)
10 ounces baby spinach
chopped crispy bacon for garnish
sliced or chopped hard-boiled egg for garnish
freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish
Preparation:
(Hard boil a couple of eggs and fry a couple of slices of bacon ahead of time.)
In a small saucepan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the garlic and pepper flakes until fragrant but not brown.
In the same pan, add the butter to the garlic and melt over moderate heat until foaming. Add the anchovies and cook over moderately low heat until they break down and dissolve. (about 2 minutes) Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Add the thyme sprigs and let steep for 20 minutes. Discard the thyme and season the dressing with salt and pepper.
In a small skillet, toast the bread crumbs over moderate heat, tossing, until golden, about 4 minutes. Let the bread crumbs cool.
In a large bowl, toss the spinach with half of the dressing and bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the salad to plates and garnish with chopped crispy bacon, hard-boiled egg, and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pass the remaining dressing and bread crumbs at the table.
*Note: the bagna cauda dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight. Warm gently before using.
Wine pairing: balanced, non-oaky Chardonnays, Chablis, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Verdejo, Viognier; Rosé; lighter red wines like Beaujolais Villages (slightly chilled?), Merlots, or medium-bodied Italian wines like Valpolicella, or lighter Nero d’Avola.
