Saveur

Photo: Mark Ferri

SERVES 8

In Piedmont, winemakers celebrate the end of the grape harvest each year with a dinner that traditionally begins with bagna cauda and ends—according to Piedmontese tradition—with eggs scrambled in the last traces of the sauce.

3 lbs. cardoons
Juice of 3 lemons
1⁄2 cup butter
10 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
24 oil-packed anchovies, chopped
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Assorted raw vegetables such as fennel,
   baby artichokes, endive, and radicchio

1. If you're using cardoons see Preparing Cardoons, then place in a pot of salted water with the lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until cardoons are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, cool, and dry with paper towels.

2. For the "hot bath", melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add garlic and cook until garlic softens, about 3 minutes. Add anchovies and drizzle in olive oil. Cook over low heat, stirring, until flavors are blended, 10–15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

3. Serve with raw vegetables —and of course with the cardoons if you wish.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #15