Me:Mo Cooks… Spicy Nduja Pasta

We love a good comfort dish, and one of our favourites will always be a warm and hearty bowl of pasta. It’s the ultimate feel good food, which works all year round, and is something that can be as simple or complex as you feel like making.

This pasta recipe is one of our ultimate recipes that can be whipped up in just 15 minutes. This dish is perfect when you want a slight spicy kick, and with the all the health benefits of the anchovy, which also melts to add a nice seasoning and flavour. The absolute key to this dish (alongside pasta!) is nduja, in our opinion the best version ever of a pork sausage that bring spices to the dish.

So, here is our recipe: pasta, chilli, garlic, bays leaves, anchovies and nduja. Even better when savoured with a glass of Pinot Noir!

1. Bring water to the boil, season the water with a generous pinch of salt
2. While the water is boiling, in a separate pan, put olive oil in a low heat, adding three cloves of (sliced) garlic, finely slice one raw chilli or take a good pinch of chilli flakes, one bay leave, a teaspoon of finely chopped anchovies and season with a pinch of salt
3. Let everything fry on a low heat until the garlic gets a nice golden colour (be careful not to burn)
4. Once the garlic is cooked, add 100g of nduja and a ladle of starchy pasta water
5. Mix everything with wooden spoon, turning up the heat, to emulsify all ingredients together
6. Check if pasta is ready – slightly al-dente is best, then drain, keeping some of the pasta water to the side
7. Put the pasta in the sauce, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper
8. Toss until the pasta is fully coated with the sauce and it shows a nice consistency
9. To finish, add juice of a whole lemon and a shaving of parmesan

Et voilà!