I Love Garlic

No, really. I do.

I know what you're going to say - "I do, too". But no. I don't think you understand.

I love garlic to the point that I want it literally coming out of my pores. To me, there is truly never enough garlic in a dish, and this dish is the epitome of what I mean. My dad was a firm believer in the importance of garlic in our food and would tease my mother when he would get a cold that it was because she wasn't using enough of it!

My dad's mom was Sicilian, and while she was, arguably, NOT a good cook, one dish that she taught my dad how to make and then he taught my mom was this one. It's called bagna cauda, and it is garlic amazingness.

Growing up we didn't have it but once or twice a year, usually, which made it extra special. It was what we had around Christmas, even at least once having it for breakfast Christmas morning, which, once you find out what it's made of you're going to think us crazy. But man.. it's beyond delicious, I swear!

My parents started giving it to my sisters and me from the time we could sit up in a high chair, which horrified my mom's mother. We loved it, though, and still do to this day. In fact, my mom and I made it for members of my chosen family this past Thanksgiving to introduce them to it, and they loved it, too!

Now, there are a couple things you need to know and understand. This is a dish that, once you eat it, there's so much garlic that it comes out of your pores, so you probably want to eat it with people you really like who are also eating it! Or, if you actually want to repel someone, that would work, too. My mom made it before my high school homecoming dance one year, saying it was the "best form of birth control".

Except that my high school boyfriend ate dinner with us that night, so...

Anyway, what is it and how is it made? Well, here is what you will need, and stay with me. It works. It really does.

• 2 qt pot (I prefer stainless steel like this one)

• 3 cans of flat anchovies in oil, drained

• 3 large heads of garlic, peeled and sliced (3 HEADS not cloves, and no, I'm not joking!)

• 3 sticks of butter

• 3 12oz cans of evaporated milk

• 1 loaf of Italian bread, preferably baked that day

• an assortment of raw vegs. I prefer cabbage and celery hearts, but my dad also liked slices of raw bell peppers with this dish

That's it. Those are the ingredients. Now, I am NOT a fan of anchovies other than in Caesar salad dressing and this dish. That's it. They are simply used for flavoring here, though, and actually disintegrate so that you don't really know that they are there.

Trust me. It works.

Now, the key to this dish is patience. You can't be in a hurry or you're going to ruin it, and this is too good of a dish to do that to. So, be patient.

What you're going to do is melt the butter - all of the butter - over medium low heat and then add all of the garlic. Saute it carefully and do not let the garlic brown. Then reduce the heat to low and add the drained anchovies and cook until the anchovies have fallen apart and disintegrated.

Next, slowly add 2 1/2 cans of evaporated milk and continue to cook gently. Do Not Boil! Continue to cook slowly, adding the remaining milk as it begins to thicken. Once it has thickened a bit and is hot, it is ready to eat.

This dish is NOT good cold or even cool You want to it be hot. Now, remember when I said that you should probably like the people you are eating it with? That's because you're going to eat this similar to how you eat a fondue in that you're going to keep it on the heat - again, on low so that it doesn't boil - and ladle out a serving or so into your bowls. Again, you want it to stay hot, so the key is not to take a lot and instead dump whatever has cooled as you eat it back into the pot and add more of the hot liquid to your bowl to continue eating.

Yep, again.. you really need to like the people you are having this dish with!

When I eat it, I'm pretty simple about what I like. I dip pieces of raw cabbage in it and eat it like that although my absolute favorite is to just sop it up with slices of the fresh Italian bread. Is it a healthy meal? Not even close. Is it garlicky delectableness in a bowl? Absolutely and beyond question!j

If you like garlic, I hope you'll try this recipe and that you enjoy it as much as my family and I do!