Spicy Nduja Cavatelli
This recipe was created in partnership with Opimian Wine Club.
You will be surprised at how easy this weeknight pasta comes together. Using spicy, rich Nduja sausage and briney Castelvetrano olives adds tons of flavour and depth to this knock-out pasta.
A rich, meaty, satisfying plate of pasta is a great weekend dinner idea. Using Nduja, the trendy and ever-so funky Italian spreadable sausage as a base, you will add some divine spice, colour and flavour to the sauce. This pasta was made with extra-virgin olive oil, sweet basil, fruity cherry tomatoes, spicy Nduja, buttery Castelvetrano olives and a hearty splash of Seraphicum Rosso Toscana Red. This medium bodied wine plays beautifully off of the fruity flavours of cherry tomatoes and lightly salt-brined olives, adding a roundness to the sauce. With it’s flavours of vanilla, bitter cherry and pencil lead, Seraphicum Rosso Toscana cuts through the fatty richness of the pasta as you enjoy sip after sip.
What is Nduja?
Nduja is a soft spreadable pork sausage from Calabria in Southern Italy. Nduja is heavily spiced with roasted Calabrian chilli peppers, giving the sausage a delicious fiery flavour and vibrant red glow. This slightly funky and super trendy ingredient is made with fatty cuts of pork. The soft filling is stuffed into large casings and fermented to bring out its characteristic flavours. Some Nduja is smoked, while some is not, but all are delicious. Want to know more? Click here.
Why Castelvetrano Olives?
Castelvetrano olives (Nocellara del Belice) are Sicilian green olives that are famous for their bright green colour, firm flesh and buttery-briney flavour. What sets these emerald delights apart from the herd is the curing process. Castelvetrano’s are not fermented, instead bathed in fresh water, lye and salt for a couple of weeks to remove the bitterness from the olives. After they are cured, the olives are meaty, crisp and irresistibly buttery in flavour.
Castelvetrano are similar to Cerignola olives in flavour, but not in texture. If you cannot find Castelvetrano olives, you can use Cerignola olives instead. Click here for a link to buy a favourite brand of Castelvetrano olives.
Step 1
Prep your ingredients.
1 tablespoon olive oil. Use good quality Italian olive oil for the best flavour.
1 medium onion. Finely chop the onion.
2 cloves garlic. Mince the garlic or press.
200 grams Nduja sausage. Peel the casing off from around the sausage.
1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine (I used Seraphicum Rosso Toscano)
2 teaspoons oregano. Use fresh or dred oregano. This will add some earthy herbaceous flavour to the dish.
1 lb cherry tomatoes. Quarter the cherry tomatoes. Use the freshest, sweetest cherry tomatoes that you can find. I used a multi-colour pack which I love.
1 cup (250 ml) Castelvetrano olives. Pitted & chopped (about 15). To pit the olives, squish them flat with a cup or the back of a knife. once they are squished, the pit should be esay to remove.
Sea salt. To taste. Season at the end to prevent over-salting the dish.
Freshly ground pepper. To taste. Freshly ground pepper is so much better than the pre-ground stuff! If you can, get your hands on a pepper mill and grind away.
Large handful fresh basil. Roughly chopped. Use bright green, fragrant and unblemished leaves.
Grated parmesan. If you can, grate your own parmesan from the block right over the dish. The cheese will melt into the sauce.
1 lb dry Cavatelli pasta. I used Cavatelli because of its unique shape. The divot down the centre of the pasta is the perfect vessel to hold onto the sauce.
* Before starting step 2, fill a large pot half-way with water. cover and set the pot to boil.
Step 2
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
Pour in the onions and cook until they are translucent and slightly brown. You don’t want to caramelize them, just add a bit of sweetness and warmth.
When onions are almost ready, stir the garlic through and cook for one minute until fragrant.
Step 3
Crumble the Nduja sausage into the onions and garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon to break up the sausage in the pot. The Nduja will melt into the sauce and turn everything bright orangey-red. The smell here will drive you bonkers, it is so intoxicating.
Step 4
Pour in 1/2 cup of red wine. I used Seraphicum Rosso Toscano, available with a membership to the Opimian Society.
If you don’t have access to this wine, you can use any medium-bodied Italian red wine for this dish.
Bring the sauce to a rapid simmer.
Step 5
Toss in the cherry tomatoes and the chopped olives. Bring the sauce back to a simmer.
Step 6
Season with oregano.
Cook the sauce for about 10-15 minutes over medium-low heat until tomatoes are broken down and saucy.
Step 7
Meanwhile, cook your pasta.
By now the water you set to boil earlier should be ready to use.
Generously salt the water, which will season the pasta while cooking.
Drop the pasta into the water and stir well to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other.
Step 8
Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes, or use the package instructions for al dente pasta. Al dente translates to “to tooth” which means the pasta should have some bite to it. Overcooked pasta, in my opinion, is one of the worst things in the world.
Step 9
When the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta water, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water for the sauce.
Pour the 1/2 cup of pasta water and pasta into the sauce. Toss in fresh basil and stir everything together to coat.
Taste the pasta now and season it to your taste.
Serve!
Serve the pasta with some fresh basil and loads of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
Don’t forget to serve yourself a generous glass of red wine and dig in!
Buon Apetito!
