Feeling a Bit Veggie?

If you are one of the growing number of Americans who are eating less red meat in favor of more vegetables, you will be interested in these two good recipes.

Bagna cauda, which means hot bath, is a classic sauce from Piedmont, Italy. It is usually kept hot in a pot over a flame, but it can be presented at the table in a serving dish or in individual small bowls without the flame.

Bagna cauda is made with olive oil, butter, garlic and anchovies. Most Americans have not welcomed anchovies into their kitchens, but this recipe might make you an anchovy fan.

Raw vegetables cut into bite-size pieces are speared on a long prong-like fork and held in the hot sauce for a few seconds to flavor them. In Italy, the most common vegetables eaten with bagna cauda are fennel, cauliflower, cabbage and sweet peppers, but any vegetable that is good to eat raw will work fine. If crunchy vegetables don’t appeal to you, blanch the vegetable pieces in salted boiling water for a few seconds to a minute, until they soften a bit.

Like all good sauces, bagna cauda has many other uses; examples: over potato salad, pasta or steamed small red potatoes.

Spoonbread Custard with Mushrooms is a simple dish with lots of flexibility. This particular recipe calls for mushrooms and onions, but you can add any vegetable to the custard. Just saute the vegetable in a little olive oil so it is slightly cooked before combining it with the cornmeal custard to bake. It’s a good, filling supper dish. Serve it with vegetables and bagna cauda.

Cunningham’s latest book is “Cooking With Children” (Alfred A. Knopf, 1995).

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BAGNA CAUDA

1 1/2 cups olive oil

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

10 anchovies, drained and finely chopped

Salt, optional

Serve with a platter of raw or grilled vegetables, such as celery, zucchini, carrots, fennel, individual Belgian endive leaves and bell pepper strips. Spear vegetable pieces on a fork and dip in hot sauce for a few seconds.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until slightly softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining 1 1/4 cups olive oil, butter and anchovies. Return pan to medium heat and stir to mix thoroughly. Taste and add salt if needed (anchovies are salty).

Remove from heat and serve. (Sauce may be made ahead and kept refrigerated in covered jar.)

2 cups. Each 1-teaspoon serving without vegetables:

39 calories; 25 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 0 carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0 fiber.

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SPOONBREAD CUSTARD WITH MUSHROOMS

1/2 pound large mushrooms

3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing casserole

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 1/2 cups cold water

Salt

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup buttermilk

4 eggs, beaten

Pepper

Wipe mushrooms clean and cut into bite-size pieces. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring, until softened and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to buttered 2-quart casserole and set aside.

Bring 2 cups water to boil in saucepan and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Put cornmeal in small bowl and add remaining 1/2 cup cold water, stirring to dampen cornmeal. (This helps prevent lumping when cornmeal is added to boiling water.) Add dampened cornmeal to boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add buttermilk and stir to blend well. Add eggs and stir until well mixed. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Pour into casserole with mushrooms and onions and stir to mix well.

Bake at 375 degrees until light golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

4 servings. Each serving:

195 calories; 586 mg sodium; 238 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 0.51 gram fiber.