Txalaparta Bread Dip

I had this dish in a truly fantastic restaurant called Txalaparta in Barcelona when I was traveling with my wife. It’s similar to the Italian dip bagna cauda but is meant to be served with bread instead of vegetables. Serve it with lots of super-chilled white wine.

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 salt-packed anchovies
• or
• 6 oil-packed anchovy fillets
• 2 cloves garlic, grated on a Microplane or very finely minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Pinch of red chile flakes
• 1 loaf crusty baguette, sliced

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until warm.  Add the anchovies and garlic and cook for about a minute, just until the garlic begins to brown. Remove from the heat and add the parsley and chile flakes. The oil will pretty much dissolve the anchovy fillets, giving you an incredibly flavored oil to dip your bread into. Best if served hot.

Serves 4 as an appetizer