Begin by grinding the garlic into a paste. First chop the cloves
roughly, then chop again into finer pieces. Sprinkle salt over
everything and keep chopping, occasionally pressing the garlic
with the flat side of the knife, smearing it across the cutting board,
and working it—chopping and smearing—until it forms a paste.
Drop the garlic into a pot with the butter and heat on very low
heat.
While that’s heating, make a similar paste with the anchovies:
chop them and smear them against the board until you have a
paste. Add that to the pan with the garlic and the butter and cook,
on low heat, just until the anchovies melt away (3 to 4 minutes).
You don’t want the garlic to color at all.
Once the anchovies are melted, whisk in the olive oil. Remove
from the heat and, if you like, add parsley.
Place in a serving bowl on a platter with all the vegetables
arranged around it. Serve hot.
* I learned from DePalma that bagna cauda originates from the
Piedmont region of Italy, where peppers are prevalent.