’Nduja, cherry tomatoes, preserved lemon
I £rst came across ’nduja high up in the hills of Calabria. We were visiting Rossano, a tiny
historic town o¥ the tourist track. As we walked around, I noticed that outside every shop
front the owner would proudly sit and beckon you in with, ‘I make the best (insert product
they were selling)’. When we went up to the butcher, he lured us in with tastings of his famed
’nduja salami. The spreadable spicy salami, made bright red from £ery Calabrian peppers,
was the £rst time I had really tasted heat in Italy – aside from Calabria, most Italians prefer
to keep things on the mild side – but it was perfectly balanced by the pork fat and the other
avours. Sure, it was the £rst time I had tasted ’nduja and I happened to be in its birthplace,
but the butcher was right, and to this day I’ve never eaten better. What I took away from that
hillside town was not only a huge piece of ’nduja, which melted into every dish I cooked over
the following days, but an appreciation of the pride and con£dence Italians have in themselves
and their creations. I think we could all do with a little of that Italian pride.
There are very few ingredients in this sauce, which is brought together by the starchy
cooking water. The ’nduja is there to add avour, while the other ingredients balance out
the heat. If your ’nduja is particularly hot (always taste it £rst), balance it out with more
mascarpone. Between the salted cooking water, ’nduja and preserved lemon, you shouldn’t
need to add any more salt. If you don’t have preserved lemon, replace it with a¬squeeze of
lemon juice, a little lemon zest and pinch of salt.
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Serves 2
70 g ’nduja
250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons mascarpone
1 preserved lemon quarter,
skin only, nely sliced
25 g (±⁄ cup) grated Parmigiano
Reggiano, plus extra to serve
FRESH PASTA FOR 2
pici, linguine, tagliatelle
DRIED PASTA FOR 2
bucatini, linguine, rigatoni
Bring a large saucepan of water to a lively boil and season as
salty as the sea. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Place a large frying pan over medium heat. Squeeze out the
’nduja into the pan and use the back of a wooden spoon to
stir and encourage it to gently melt into a ery red sauce. Stir
the tomato through the melted ’nduja and continue to cook for
10 minutes, until the tomato is soft and starting to give up some
of its juice.
Drain the pasta, reserving 250 ml (1 cup) of the cooking water.
Toss the pasta through the sauce, along with the mascarpone,
preserved lemon, about 80 ml (±⁄³ cup) of the cooking water
and the Parmigiano Reggiano. Give everything a forceful stir to
encourage the sauce to emulsify, adding extra cooking water
ifneeded.
Divide between bowls and serve with extra Parmigiano Reggiano.