‘Nduja, the magical Italian sausage with a big kick

‘Nduja, pronounced en-doo-ya, is a fermented spicy Calabrian spreadable pork sausage, now widely available and often spotted on menus all over the country. Traditionally it was made with butchers’ offcuts as an affordable product once all the prized, more expensive meat cuts were sold. Offal, excess fat and meat trimmings were mixed with chillies and salt to ensure the pork flavour went further. It was then fermented and sometimes heavily smoked.

Not all ‘nduja is created equal. Look for one that only has a handful of ingredients: pork, salt, Calabrian chillies and not much else. I picked up a beautiful free-range ‘nduja from the Real Olive Company’s market stall in Midleton Farmers’ market, available online and in the English Market also. It melts like butter and has a delicious fermented flavour. ‘Nduja dissolves once it hits a high heat so use it at the start of cooking with a little olive oil to sauté onions, whip into butter and spread over crusty bread.

This is a much more sustainable way to cook instead of centering a meal on a cut of meat. A little goes a long way and adds so much richness. You can add it at the start of cooking or as a finishing touch. Adding it at the start adds depth of flavour and a round rich pork and chilli flavour. Adding it near the ends gives that tart fermented raw ‘nduja brightness. I love it in toasted sandwiches and it’s so good on pizzas with pineapple. I place it directly on top of the pineapple so it melts and coats each sweet piece.

I love adding some crumbles of ‘nduja to steamed mussels and it pairs so well with tomato so lots of gorgeous pasta dishes can be spiced up with a little of this magical sausage.

Stir fry spiced lamb with cous cous, olives and mint

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Striploin steak with bois boudrin sauce and dressed Baby Gem

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Home-made pici with Italian sausage and courgette

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Tom yum soup

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There are some lovely mozzarellas being made here in Ireland. Macroom Buffalo Mozzarella and Toonsbridge both make beautiful creamy mozzarella and it’s perfect for this dish.

Recipe: Orzo bake with nduja

Lilly’s kitchen tips

1. Once opened, store ‘ndjua in a jar and seal with a lid. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to four months.
2. Use the salty creamy water that comes with the mozzarella. You can use it to make pizza dough, cook rice or add to the orzo as it bakes.
3. Use a small pasta shape such as macaroni if you can’t find orzo.