‘Nduja Bucatini
The first time I tasted ‘nduja was on a roman slice, and it was life changing. Honestly, ever since 90% of my pizzas are topped with the spicy spreadable sausage, anything that says ‘nduja on a restuaurant menu catches my eye, and I always have some in a jar in the back of my fridge for whenever Im craving some porky spicy pasta.
That said, I am genuinely not a big fan of pork, it’s probably one of my least favourite meats because of its flavour- but there’s something about cured pork…
I made my first batch of ‘nduja pasta 4 years ago. I found a vendor at Spitalfields market (sadly he isn’t there anymore) selling it and bought some and brought it home. Since, the dish is one of my biggest guilty pleasures.
In this recipe I make it with bucatini, obviously it can be made with whatever pasta shape you want.
prep/cooking time: 30-40 mins
serves: 2-3 people
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely sliced
4 big cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp (20g) nduja (more if you want it spicier)
1 tsp tomato paste
20 ml white wine (optional)
1/3 cup (75ml) passata
1/4 cup (55ml) water
handful of fresh basil
250g dried bucatini
1/2 cup or less pasta cooking liquid
oil, salt, pepper
Method
1. In a pot with oil on medium heat, add the onion and sweat them until they become translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes- making sure not to add any colour to the veggies.
2. Stir in the ‘nduja and tomato paste into the mix, cook until the ‘nduja starts to release its oil, and the tomato paste darkens. This will take 3-5 minutes.
3. Deglaze the pot with wine, and reduce fully. Add the passata and water to the mix, bring to a boil Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for at least 15 minutes.
4. After 15 minutes, remove the lid, and let the sauce reduce for 10 minutes, if you like your sauce thicker, cook it down for longer. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Cook your bucatini in a pot of boiling salted water. Cook it 2 minutes under the amount of time indicated on the package.
6. When the pasta is a little under al dente, scoop out 1/2 cup of pasta cooking liquid, then drain pasta.
7. On medium heat add the pasta into the sauce, making sure that everything is properly coated. Add in a few tablespoons of pasta water into the mix until the sauce and water emulsify and create a nice silky consistency and coat the bucatini properly. Drop in the fresh basil and stir it in, wilting it slightly. Serve pasta with a sprinkle of parm and a little drizzle of olive oil.