Combine all ingredients in a 1-quart heavy bottomed saucepan. Place over low flame and cook slowly, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until mixture becomes melded together and garlic is a deep brown, approximately 35–40 minutes.

Spoon the sauce into a terra-cotta dish held in a stand over a tea candle or a fondue pot to keep warm at the table.

Arrange a platter of raw and cooked vegetables such as red and yellow peppers, celery, carrots, radishes, Belgian endive, treviso, cauliflower, green chard stems and leaves (slightly blanched), boiled and quartered artichokes, and potatoes boiled in their skins, peeled, and sliced into wedges.

Serve with some crusty bread and Arneis or Nebbiolo wine.