Linguine With Tomato and Nduja

1 garlic clove squashed
75g Nduja sausage or 5 tbsp of Nduja paste
100g passata
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
150g dried linguine
3 basil leaves, torn
grated Parmesan
olive oil

Nduja is a soft, spicy spreadable sausage made from pork. It made from parts of the pig such as the shoulder, belly and jowl, as well as tripe, roasted peppers and a mixture of spices to give it its heat. It is the Calabrian variation of salami, and is loosely based on the French andouille. The name Nduja comes from the French andouille, a coarsly ground smoked meat made from pork, pepper, onions, wine, and seasonings. Calabrian nduja is made from meat from the pigs head (but not the cheeks which are used for guanciale), trimmings from various meat cuts, some clean skin, back fat, and roasted hot red peppers which give nduja its characteristic fiery taste.

 

Nduja can be served on slices of bread or with ripe cheese. Its fantastically fiery taste makes it suitable for a variety of dishes. For example, my personal favourite, pasta sauces.

 

The Recipe

 

Put a pan of water on to boil. once boiling put a couple of pinches of salt into your boiling water and add the linguine to cook.

In a frying pan place a good glug of olive oil over a medium heat, then add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes then add the Nduja and passata then stir round until the Nduja melts into the passata. Add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. 

Once your pasta is cooked, add it to the pan and add the stir or toss for a minute or two to coat the pasta. Serve right away topped with grated Parmesan and torn basil.