Summer Crudités with Bagna Cauda

A fresh and colorful assortment of seasonal vegetables served with a rich, warm Italian dipping sauce made from garlic, anchovies, and walnuts. This elegant appetizer platter features baby artichokes, colorful carrots, radicchio, and various radishes paired with a traditional bagna cauda.

6 servings
1 hr 19 min

Ingredients

  • 1 head head of garlic, cloves peeled
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • 10 fillets oil-packed anchovy fillets
  • ½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
  • to taste Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 2 whole lemons, halved, divided
  • 8 whole baby artichokes
  • 6 whole large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 bunches bunches small carrots (any color), trimmed, halved if large
  • 1 head Treviso radicchio, leaves separated
  • 1 whole small fennel bulb, quartered
  • 2 whole Persian cucumbers, cut lengthwise into quarters
  • 2 stalks celery stalks, halved
  • 6 whole red radishes
  • 1 whole watermelon radish
  • peeled
  • sliced

Cooking Instructions

  1. 1.

    Combine garlic and oil in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, shaking pan occasionally, until garlic is golden and very tender, 15-20 minutes. (Reduce heat if garlic is browning too quickly.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a cutting board and mash to a paste.

    20 min

  2. 2.

    Add anchovies and walnuts to garlic oil and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until anchovies disintegrate and walnuts are golden brown, 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in garlic paste, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer bagna cauda to a shallow dish.

    8 min

  3. 3.

    Squeeze 3 lemon halves into a bowl of cold water. Working one at a time, remove several layers of tough outer leaves from artichokes to reveal tender light-green leaves. Trim stem and peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut off top third from artichokes, then halve lengthwise and transfer to lemon water.

    15 min

  4. 4.

    Cook artichokes in a large pot of boiling salted water until a knife slides easily through outer leaves, 5-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water and let sit until cold, about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

    13 min

  5. 5.

    Meanwhile, return water in pot to a boil and cook eggs 8 minutes. Drain and transfer eggs to a fresh bowl of ice water; let sit until cold, about 5 minutes. Drain, peel, then cut in half.

    13 min

  6. 6.

    Arrange eggs and all vegetables on a platter. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze remaining lemon half over. Serve with bagna cauda for dipping.

    10 min