In place of the Caesar’s bacon, there is crispy pancetta, and instead of cos lettuce, there’s fennel and celeriac, both cool-weather favourites of mine. Bagna cauda (‘hot bath’) is often served in Italy as a dipping sauce for crudites. Here it’s a rich and delicious dressing.
To make the bagna cauda, warm all ingredients except the water in a small pot. Check the seasoning, add the water, and stir through.
To make the salad, bring a small pot of water to the boil and add the eggs. Boil for 6 minutes to make soft-boiled eggs. Remove and let cool in cold water. Peel.
Toss bread chunks with olive oil and toast in 180°C oven for 10 minutes.
Fry the pancetta pieces until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
Lay the celeriac, fennel and parsley in a shallow serving bowl or platter. Scatter with the bread pieces and top with the pancetta. Roughly break the eggs and scatter over. Shave over most of the parmesan, then dress with the bagna cauda and drizzle with the sherry vinegar. Scatter with a little more parmesan just before serving.
I love bagna cauda but the one time I tried to make it, it was an epic fail - probably because I was just making it up as I went along - so thanks for sharing the recipe; the whole salad looks delightful!