THE ANCHOVIES

An ally of health and appreciated by peasant palates, the anchovy wins a place of honor in the Piedmontese culinary tradition.

A precious exchange commodity on the ancient salt routes, anchovies distinguish some of the famous dishes of Savoy cuisine. Just think of the bagna caôda, made exclusively with anchovies, oil and garlic. Or the classic green anchovies. But we also find it in the veal tuna sauce or as a fundamental ingredient in the Nicoise salad. The famous blue fish appears more or less manifestly in many recipes, in memory of its complicity in the history of salt smuggling in Piedmont.

Today in Turin it is difficult to find a restaurant that offers bagna caôda and above all someone who still knows how to make it. But those who want to experience this (sometimes dangerous) dive into the heart of Piedmontese flavors can ask chef Enzo Gola for it a few days before, of course. Because this hot sauce (wet) requires a very long cooking, a certain number of guests (at least 6) and a real tasting ritual.
It is in fact served in fujot, a mini-pan in glazed terracotta with a lower compartment in which a candle is placed to keep the greedy sauce warm. Everyone will take care of their fujot, filling it from time to time and dipping into it raw or boiled vegetables carefully cut and arranged in the center of the table. Nizza Monferrato hunchback thistle, Carmagnola peppers, Moncalieri cauliflower, Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage and cauliflower are a must. With a grand finale: the egg to be cooked in fujot, perhaps with a sprinkling of white truffle, and a good hot broth to finish.

Thus prescribes the philosophy of chef Enzo Gola, who bases every dish in his kitchen on the selection of excellence.