Bagna Caudi (on Ziti with Carrots)

Bagna Cauda — literally “hot bath” in Piedmontese dialect — is a classic northern Italian dipping sauce of garlic and anchovies. This version pulls it out of the fondue pot and into a pasta sauce, adding a quart of heavy cream and roasted garlic to the classic butter, oil, and anchovy base, then tossing it with ziti and carrot matchsticks.

Fifteen cloves of fresh garlic and two tablespoons of roasted garlic might seem aggressive, but they behave completely differently from each other. Fresh garlic sautees until lightly browned and stays pungent; roasted garlic mashes in soft and sweet, almost caramel-like. Together they build a sauce that’s intensely garlicky without being sharp.

The anchovies don’t taste like fish. They dissolve completely into the butter and oil, leaving behind a deep, salty umami backbone. If anyone at the table is skeptical, just don’t mention them.

Reduce the cream by one-quarter before tossing with pasta so the sauce clings instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Chef Tips

• Cook the anchovies until fully dissolved — stir them into the hot oil and they’ll break down in a couple of minutes
• Roast your own garlic ahead: a whole head wrapped in foil, roasted until the cloves are golden and squeezable
• Par-boil the carrot matchsticks until just tender but still with some bite; soft carrots disappear in the sauce
• Toss pasta and sauce in the warm pan rather than pouring sauce over plated pasta — it coats more evenly

Variations

• Add a handful of wilted spinach or arugula to the final toss for color and a bitter counterpoint
• Use rigatoni instead of ziti; the ridges hold the cream sauce better