Homemade Nduja with Orzo Pasta

Ingredients

200g Chorizo sausage cured and skin removed. 1 Red chilli 2 Garlic cloves 2 tbsp Flat leaf parsley 100ml olive oil 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar 40g Stale bread 500g Dried orzo pasta 1 tbsp salt 175g Mini pepper 75g Pitted olives 1 handful parsley 50g Parmesan cheese

Here’s how

Place all the ingredients for the nduja into a food processor apart from the bread and blend together. Once blended and smooth add half the bread and blend again before adding the last of the bread this will ensure it fully incororates. By adding bread it helps to absorb the liquid and bind it together so it does not split. Taste the sauce and make sure it is right for you, not too sharp and not to oily, also season according to taste with salt, pepper and chilli flakes if you like it spicy. Cook the pasta for 9 minutes in boiling salted water, then drain in a colander, if you can’t get orzo pasta you can swap it out for any other alternative pasta you fancy. Pre heat a large shallow frying pan with a splash of olive oil. Chop the peppers up into chunks, if you are using everyday pepper or in half if you have the smaller ones like I do. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the olives and several spoonful of the nduja paste. Lift out a ladle of the pasta cooking water before you drain and add it to the pan. By adding this to your sauce it will introduce starch from the pasta and help make it creamy without adding cream. Pour in the drained pasta and stir together. Finish with the chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese. I alway add a drizzle of my best extra virgin olive oil before serving as it gives a nice silky texture to the dish and you can really taste the olive oil.