Hot and Chilli

‘Nduja @ London Cooking Club with Unearthed

Last Sunday I was thrilled to be cooking with Luiz  in his newly refurbished kitchen for the ‘Nduja Cooking Club. Unearthed provided the ‘Nduja and recipes (below); and the guests, eight food bloggers, cooked our way through the delicious menu. First of all, let’s get the ‘Nduja pronunciation correctly:  ‘un-DOO-ya’. ‘Nduja is a dark red spicy spreadable sausage/salami made of pork from Calabria. It is typically made using meat from the pig’s head as well as tripe, roasted peppers and a mixture of spices.  I never eaten ‘Nduja before so I was pleasantly surprised by it’s unique flavor, versatility as well as it’s consistency. Easy to use, it blends well in sauces; it spreads like pâté at room temperature. ‘Nduja’s gutsy flavor and spiciness gives any recipe a vibrant taste and colour. We had a very entertaining afternoon with a great group of food bloggers, who delivered a cracking meal using ‘Nduja.
Luiz in his new kitchen
Getting ready
Unearthed Mezze Platter
(Prepared by Unearthed)

First class quality products
Spicy ‘Nduja Palmiers
(Recipe created & prepared by May – Slow Food Kitchen)
The Palmiers were crispy and tasty
Starter
Linguine with ‘Nduja, Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
(Recipe by Rose Prince)
(Prepared by Fede – Pasta Bites)
Fede working hard – preparing and dishing out a delightful spicy pasta
Mains

 

Pan-Fried Cod on Butter Beans and ‘Nduja with a Lemon and Sage Dressing
(Recipe by Luiz – The London Foodie)
(Prepared by Luiz & Rosana – The London Foodie & Hot & Chilli)
Cooking Luiz’s delicious recipe, perfect balance of flavors combined with a lot of laughs made this dish a pleasure to eat it. Like Fede, I am surprised this recipe didn’t win top prize at the Unearthed ‘Nduja challenge
I absolutely love this dish – well done Luiz for the recipe and for converting me to like Samphire
Pimp My Piri Piri Poussin
(Recipe by Niamh – Eat Like A Girl)
(Prepared by Qin & Nic – In Pursuit of Food and Cherrapeno)
The poussin was tender and juicy
Accompaniments
Greek Salad
(Prepared by Sian – Domestic Sluttery)
Buttered Samphire & Crispy Roast Potatoes
(Prepared by Luiz & Rosana – The London Foodie & Hot and Chilli)
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Dessert
(Recipe reworked by Kavey)
Lemon Posset – always a winner!
(Prepared by Cassey – A Girl Has to Eat)
Recipes for the dishes above can be found here below.
For more recipes and products by Unearthed  follow them on Twitter @FoodUnearthed
Thanks to Unearthed, Luiz and WildCard for the lovely time eating and discovering more about ‘Nduja and Unearthed. Looking forward to taste Unearthed next discovery!
Unearthed products can be found at Waitrose, and home deliveries:  Ocado and Abel &Cole.
Spicy ‘Nduja Palmier Recipe
Ingredients
  • 90g ‘Nduja
  • 1 packet of All Butter Puff Pastry
  • About 75g Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Honey to drizzle
  • 1 beaten Egg for Egg Wash
Method
1.         Preheat oven to 220°C.
2.         Roll
out the puff pastry evenly on a clean and lightly floured work surface
until it is about the thickness of a pound coin. I made a rectangular
shape with mine to make it easy to fold over. If you are using frozen
puff pastry, make sure you take it out earlier to let it thaw before
use. There are usually instructions on the packet for you to follow.
3.         For
the first layer, spread the delectable spicy ‘nduja all over the pastry
leaving a 2cm edge clear. You don’t need to have a very thick layer; a
little bit will go a long way. You can press the ‘nduja down into the
pastry to help the salami adhere.
4.         For
the next flavour, evenly sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the
‘nduja. You can substitute Parmesan with any other melting cheese that
you have to hand.
5.         For
an added dimension I drizzled honey all over the ‘nduja and cheese
topping. Honey seems to complement ‘nduja really well as it takes an
edge off the spiciness and adds an added depth to the flavour of each
bite.
6.         Fold the pastry to make a palmier shape.
7.         Fold both the long side of the pasty so that the edges meet in the centre.
8.         Secondly fold the edges again to the centre again. You now have quite a thick piece of pastry.
9.         Lastly, fold this in half along the middle to form a flat sausage like shape.
10.     Alternative to folding: you can roll the pastry from the edge to the centre to create a scroll shaped pastry too.
11.     You can now wrap it up in cling film and put the pastry back in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm up before cutting.
12.     With
a sharp knife, cut pieces of the pastry into 1cm thick slices. If your
knife is not sharp and your pastry is too soft, you will not get a clean
shape. At this point you can egg wash the pastry to give it a gorgeous
shiny finish after baking. To do this, just whisk an egg and brush each
piece before putting them in the oven.
13.     Place
these slices cut side down onto a paper lined baking tray. Leave some
space between each piece as they will expand when baking. You can
sprinkle more cheese on top of the pastry too.
14.     Place
on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the
‘nduja and cheese melts and the pastry turns golden brown.
15.     When ready, take it out of the oven and carefully place them on a wire rack to cook. When cool it will crisp up very nicely.
Linguine with ‘Nduja, Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
Ingredients
  • 90 grams of ‘Nduja
  • 450g Cherry Tomatoes
  • Basil Leaves
  • Clove of Garlic
  • Linguine, at 50-100g per person
Method
  1. Warm four tbsps of olive oil and add 450g of halved cherry tomatoes.
  1. Add a few torn basil leaves and two tbsps of ‘nduja
  1. Sauté gently until the tomatoes are soft, then add a chopped clove of garlic.
  1. Stir into cooked linguine and serve. As a primo, allow 50-100g of dried pasta per person.
 
Pan-Fried Cod on Butter Beans and ‘Nduja
with a Lemon & Sage Dressing
Ingredients
Main
  • 4 fresh Cod Fillets
  • 200g Unsmoked Bacon Lardons
  • 300g Butter Beans
  • 90g ‘Nduja
  • 4 tbsps Flat Leaf Parsley, roughly chopped
  • 100g Plain White Flour
  • Water
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil for shallow frying
  • Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Soffritto
  • 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Small Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 Carrot, finely chopped
  • 2 Small Celery sticks, finely chopped
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
  • 2 sprigs of Thyme, Leaves only
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Dressing
  • 4 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, finely sliced
  • Juice of 1 Lemon
  • 6 – 8 fresh Sage Leaves
Method
1.  Soak the beans overnight or for 12 hours in plenty of cold water.
2.
Make the Soffrito: heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the
celery, carrot, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and some salt and
freshly ground black pepper for 15 minutes, or until they start to turn
golden.
3.
Mix in the drained white beans. Do not over stir the beans to avoid
them breaking up during cooking. Add enough water to cover the beans,
bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for
about 30 – 45 minutes or until the beans are tender (you may need to add
some more water if the beans are looking dry and not fully cooked).
Remove the bay leaves.
4.
While the beans are cooking, in a separate saucepan, heat 6 tbsp of
extra virgin olive oil, add the unsmoked lardons and fry them until
brown and lightly crispy. Add the ‘nduja and stir until it has melted
into the oil. Gently fold it into the white bean mixture. Add half of
the chopped flat leaf parsley, add salt and freshly ground black pepper
to taste, and keep warm.
5.
Season the white flour generously with salt and freshly ground pepper
and lightly coat the Cod fillets, shaking off any excess flour. Heat 2
tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a heavy-based, non-stick frying pan until
very hot. Pan-fry the Cod fillets on a medium to high heat for 3
minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
6.
Make the dressing: while the Cod fillets are frying, warm up the extra
virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic
slices and sage leaves for a few minutes until the garlic and sage
begins to caramelise and turn golden. Remove the dressing from the heat
and stir in the lemon juice. Mix well until lightly emulsified.
7.
To serve, place the butter bean and ‘nduja mixture on a plate and top
with the pan-fried Cod. Spoon the warm lemon dressing on top and
sprinkle the remainder of the chopped flat leaf parsley. Serve
immediately.
 
Pimp My Piri Piri Poussin
Ingredients
  • 2 x Poussin, spatchcocked
  • 90g ‘Nduja
  • 1 good Tomato, peeled deseeded & diced
  • 1 tbsp freshly chopped Oregano Leaves & some for serving
  • 2 tbsp good Red Wine Vinegar
Method
  1. Peel the tomatoes by carving a
    cross in the base through the skin and submerging in boiling water
    for 15 – 30 seconds, until the skin starts to peel away. Remove the
    seeds and chop into fine dice.
  1. Sauté over a low – medium heat for
    about 10 minutes until the tomato softens. Add the ‘nduja and stir
    until dissolved through. Add the vinegar and oregano.
  1. Allow to cool and spread over the
    skin of the poussins. Massage into the skin and leave to marinade in
    the fridge for 2 – 4 hours or overnight if you have time.
  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C.
  1. Roast the poussins for 35 – 40
    minutes checking on them and basting them halfway though. The sausage
    can get a bit crispy but basting prevents this.
  1. Serve with some fresh oregano sprinkled on top, and enjoy, they’re delicious!
 
Greek Salad
Ingredients
  • 50g/2oz black Kalamata Olives
  • 3 medium Tomatoes, diced into 2cm/¾in cubes
  • 1 Cucumber peeled, diced into 2cm/¾in cubes
  • 1 Red Pepper, de-seeded & diced
  • ½ Red Onion, sliced finely
  • 100ml/3fl oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 150g/5oz Feta, diced
  • 1 small, firm Cos Lettuce, chopped into rough cubes lengthways
  • 1 generous sprig of Oregano (or 2 tbsps dried Oregano)
  • 50ml/3 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
Method
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Lemon Posset
Ingredients
600ml Double Cream
180g Caster Sugar
90ml Lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 1 Lemon
Method
  1. Put
    the cream and caster sugar in a large saucepan (that allows for the
    liquid to double in volume) and bring to the boil, stirring
    occasionally to dissolve the sugar.This takes several minutes but keep a close eye, as when it reaches boiling point, it expands very fast.
  2. Reduce
    the heat so that the mixture doesn’t boil over, but not too low as
    you want to allow it to bubble enthusiastically for 3 to 4
    minutes, stirring regularly.
  3. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and zest and leave to settle for a few minutes.
  4. Pour into small serving dishes or cups and leave to cool. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
Other Uses of ‘Nduja
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8761003/The-many-uses-of-nduja.html
On bread or toast
Grill or toast slices of bread and spread the ‘nduja on top. Eat on its
own or add any one or two of the following antipasti: fresh ricotta,
burrata (soft creamy buffalo mozzarella), fresh goat’s curd (in Calabria
this is called juncata di capra), black olives, capers, fresh tomato
with olive oil, grilled artichokes or smoked anchovies.
With grilled or barbecued meat or fish
Warm and brush on to pork chops or chicken, sardines or mackerel, prawns
or clams that have been cooked and opened before grilling.
Pasta sauce
Warm four tbspns of olive oil and add 450g of halved cherry tomatoes.
Add four torn basil leaves and two tbspns of ‘nduja. Sauté gently until
the tomatoes are soft, then add a chopped clove of garlic. Stir into
cooked penne or rigatoni and serve.
Pizza
Dot a few half-tbsps of ‘nduja over a pizza before baking; it will melt and spread so do not overdo it.
Braised meat
Use in casserole recipes (pork, chicken, partridge or lamb), adding the
‘nduja to the pan once the meat is browned. Serve the meat with
tagliatelle.
Baked potatoes
Bake a potato, removing it from the oven when three-quarters done. Cut
the top off the potato, scoop out a dessertspoonful of flesh. Place a
heaped teaspoon of ‘nduja on to one end of a slice of pancetta and roll
it into a ball – put this in the potato. Put the top back on the potato
and wrap it in a layer of foil. Return to the oven for 20 – 30 minutes,
then unwrap and serve.
With fried eggs
Sauté some ham and add a little ‘nduja to the pan. Crack in two eggs and
fry until the whites are firm. Serve on hot toast for a filling,
warming breakfast.

All recipes provided by WildCard PR / Unearthed

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8 Comments

  1. federilli
    October 28, 2011 / 7:54 am

    Love your post and well done for explaining what 'nduja is and how to pronounce! I didn't even think of it. Cant wait to cook together again!

  2. rtwlabs
    October 28, 2011 / 11:32 am

    Hi Fede, I thought It would be a good idea because I was pronouncing completely wrong! Thanks for the kind words too. See you soon x

  3. Anonymous
    October 29, 2011 / 7:11 am

    Never heard of Nduja, let alone the pronunciation. I am going to try it.

  4. Kavey
    October 29, 2011 / 8:20 am

    Aah, is that why Luiz was looking for my lemon posset blog post? x

  5. Hanna @ Swedish Meatball
    October 29, 2011 / 3:39 pm

    Oooooh an nduja themed night – beyond jealous! I am obsessed with putting it in pasta sauces and piadinas… I love this post, full of nduja ideas!

  6. Nic
    October 31, 2011 / 8:54 pm

    Loved meeting you Rosana, and also reading your write-up! I think my favourite dish was the pasta, I do like trying new things.

  7. Tiffany
    November 4, 2011 / 11:54 am

    Love the post Rosana, and OMG Luiz's new kitchen looks amazing!! I can't wait to see it in person.

  8. The London Foodie
    November 9, 2011 / 4:32 am

    You seem to be turning part of furniture and fixings Rosana, lovely to see you as always! Have a good time in Brazil!

    Luiz @ The London Foodie