Blaine's Recipe of the Week - 4/18/07

Staying with the Italian theme one more week, I can't resist sharing one of my family's longest and most treasured traditions...Banga Cauda! My mother's last name is Carulli and her parents were from a small town in Northern Italy. Her parents brought this wonderful fondu-like tradition over with them in the early 1900s, and we've celebrated this family gathering multiple times every year since I can remember. Imagine 20+ people gathered around several fondu pots, Italian music playing in the background, red wine flowing like the Wenatchee river, and loud boisterous people sharing stories left and right. Enjoy!

Banga Cauda: Serves 10-12 (5-6 people per pot)

•· 8 small flat anchovy tins w/capers: 4 tins per pot
•· Garlic: 1 cup smashed garlic or 2-3 heads per pot
•· Extra virgin olive oil: enough to cover garlic/anchovies and then some
•· 2 sticks unsalted butter per pot (skim off butter solids as they form)
•· Heavy cream for texture
•· Beef: 1/3 lb per person
•· Shrimp: 1 bag frozen 20-30 ct. from Costco
•· Scallops: 1 bag frozen large from Costco
•· Lots of bread for dipping
•· Mushrooms: cremini or buttons (at least 1 lb)
•· 1 head Napa/Chinese cabbage for scooping
•· Celery stalks for scooping
•· Red, yellow and orange peppers

Notes: Throw the anchovies, garlic, olive oil and butter into a pot and simmer on low 4-6 hours before serving, allowing the anchovies and garlic to melt. Watch very closely, do not let boil! One hour before serving, add heavy cream for texture. At serving, allow to bubble but not boil. Using fondu sticks, select your choice of meat, seafood, veggies, etc. and cook to your hearts desire. Now be prepared to sweat garlic and anchovies out of your pores for days!

Here's a Wikipedia link with a brief history of Banga Cauda:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagna_C%C3%A0uda