A garlic lover's dream! Bagna Cauda is not for the timid. It's served in Italy for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• 4 oz unsalted butter
• 8 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 8 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• salt
• fresh ground, black pepper

Directions

1. Melt the butter
2. Add olive oil and heat over a medium flame
3. Add garlic, anchovies, salt, and two to three grinds of pepper
4. Simmer for 5-8 minutes, until the anchovies have almost dissolved
5. Serve hot

Note: Bagna Cauda [BAHN-yah KOW-dah] is a specialty of the Piedmont region. It literally means "hot bath." This sauce should served immediately and not be stored.
Garlic has gained fame recently as a boon to our health. This desire to stave off ill health is the new version of the garlic wreath that repelled vampires. In ancient Rome garlic was used to repel scorpions, treating dog bites, bladder infections, cure leprosy, and asthma.
The health benefits of garlic aren't superstition. In 1858, Louis Pasteur documented that garlic kills bacteria, with one millimeter or raw garlic juice proving as effective as 60 milligrams of penicillin (this includes salmonella and staphylococcus). During World War II the British and Russian armies used diluted garlic solutions as an antiseptic to disinfect open wounds and prevent gangrene. The reason is the hundreds of volatile sulfur compounds found in garlic.

Serve With: Fresh, raw vegetables or fried fish. It's perfect for dunking and makes an impressive appetizer. Pair with a red wine.