SPAGHETTI WITH N'DUJA AND TOMATO SAUCE

This is one of those recipes that is great for a quick lunch or dinner because it takes less that 30 minutes from start to finish, but it does not compromise on taste! It is flavoured with n'duja (or 'nduja), a spicy, spreadable pork sausage that originates from Southern Italy (Calabria), made from different trimmings of various meat parts and a mixture of spices that give it that characteristic fiery taste. Great eaten with bread or cheese, but also fabulous when added to pasta sauces, soups, pizza (n'duja, potato, blue cheese is my favourite combination!), eggs,... Once you taste it, it becomes quite addictive and you will start looking for other ways of using it to wake up your everyday dishes. 

Here is what you need:

400 grams spaghetti (or pappardelle, orecchiette, fettuccine)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly

3-4 heaping tablespoons n'duja (or to your liking)

500 ml canned whole tomatoes and liquid

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

3 sprigs of thyme

salt

pepper

1/2 cup parmigiano cheese

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1  cup reserved pasta cooking water 

NOTE: N'duja is available at many Italian markets, specialty cheese shops or butchers.

Grate the cheese, chop the parsley and thinly slice the garlic.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package instructions.

Meanwhile, place olive oil and garlic into a large frying pan over medium heat until garlic is fragrant and slightly golden. Add n'duja, stirring and breaking it apart until it browns and sizzles, then add the whole tomatoes and their juices. Break the tomatoes with a spoon (or potato masher) into large chunks. Add worcestershire sauce and thyme and simmer until the pasta is ready, adding some of the pasta water if it becomes too thick (you don't want a watery sauce, but nor you want it too thick).

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to your taste and remove thyme sprigs before tossing it with the pasta, loosening it with a bit more pasta water if needed.

Turn off the heat and gently stir in grated parmigiano and parsley. 

Serve straight away with some more parmigiano on the side.