You see this pesto is actuallymade from 'Nduja, which is a particularly spicy, hot Italian salami. Similar to Spanish chorizo but hotter and made with plenty of local roasted hot red chilli peppers. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Spread out the nuts on a baking tray and roast for 10-12 minutes, until pale golden, then remove and leave to cool. In Calabria, ’nduja is typically made with just a few ingredients: the pork shoulder, pork belly and tripe of Calabrian pigs, local salt, and roasted spicy red peppers from Calabria, which give the sausage paste its vibrant red colour. Ten years ago we couldn’t even pronounce the word ’nduja (“Undo ya,” more or less),” Lethlean writes. Speak for yourself, John. “Now this Calabrian “salami” is in the larder of every self-respecting chef and home cook in the nation. How did that happen?” And how did it happen? This isn’t the first time that ’nduja has trended outside Italy.

You’ll frequently read that ’nduja is pronounced ‘en-doo-ya’, just to make sure that you don’t make the mistake of pronouncing that ‘j’. But it’s worth noting that once again, depending on the Calabrian dialect being spoken, that ‘j’ might be very much pronounced. Folks, today I'm delighted to bring you this delicious pesto and mozzarella stuffed baked potatoes recipe.Gnocchi: There’s no need for a particular type of gnocchi, nor brand. Use Gluten-Free, traditional, or any other flavour that has captured your eye. Spinach gnocchi is an amazing alternative in this recipe! If you’re looking for a fancy (but simple) way to spruce up potatoes to serve as a side dish, this is the recipe for you! Or if you’re just looking for ways to use ‘Nduja, then these are always a tasty excuse too 😋. Follow me… Nduja Pesto: If you can’t find ‘Nduja pesto at your local supermarket, then sundried tomato pesto with minced chorizo is a great alternative. Both the ‘Nduja and pesto have quite intense flavours, so I love adding a dash of crème fraîche to help balance everything out (namely the spice from the ‘Nduja). It also enhances the creaminess of the potato itself.

Nduja was named one of 2021’s trending ingredients by the UK supermarket Waitrose’s food magazine, although I have no idea how much influence that publication has, while The Weekend Australian Magazine’s newspaper’s food writer John Lethlean published a piece in mid-March this year called Nduja: this Spicy Calabrian Salami’s Fame is Spreading. By 2015, ’nduja was getting used in restaurant kitchens all over the world, and not just Italian, but kitchens as diverse as that of British chef Jason Atherton in the UK and April Bloomfield at The Spotted Pig in the USA. British retailer Marks & Spencer, whose Calabrian-made Spicy Nduja and Tomato Pasta Sauce was “flying off the shelf”, called nduja the “ingredient of the moment”. Once you’ve roasted the potatoes in ‘Nduja, we’re going to load them up with pesto. What kind of Pesto to use?So far we’ve published Terence’s take on Australian chef Christine Manfield’s eggplant ‘sandwich’ with ’nduja (instead of basil pesto), a recipe for ’nduja pizza made in a Dutch oven, an easy ’nduja bruschetta recipe with goat’s cheese and sweet red capsicum, and ’nduja pasta. Where to Buy ’Nduja Drain the pasta reserving around 75ml (⅓ Cup) of the cooking liquid, then add the drained pasta to the nduja and tomato mix. So what is ’nduja? The spicy sausage paste is a traditional Calabrian pork product that originated in the village of Spilinga in the province of Vibo Valentia in Southern Italy’s region of Calabria. Calabrian food is fantastic and the region is a tantalising culinary destination that’s famous for everything from its fiery red peppers and sweet red onions from Tropea to its fantastic wild mushrooms. This gnocchi and ‘Nduja bake is one of our go-to Friday night recipes. Because of how easy it is to whip up, as well as how comforting it is, this gnocchi and ‘Nduja bake is the perfect way to end the week. Let’s talk ingredients…

While in Rome we tested out a couple of local tours and experiences, including a fantastic Italian language lesson cum Italian wine class, and a walking tour that took in some of Rome’s finest and oldest shops for Italian gourmet specialities. When we mentioned to our lovely guide that we were heading to Calabria next, she asked if we’d tried nduja.

Our Guide to Calabria’s Spicy Sausage Paste Called ’Nduja

So many stories about the spicy Southern Italian sausage paste start with how to pronounce ’nduja so let clarify a couple of things. While it’s thought that the apostrophe before the ‘n’ in ’nduja indicates that the ‘n’ is barely uttered, it’s worth noting that depending on the Calabrian dialect, it’s pronounced either as ‘en’ or not at all, as if the ‘n’ is silent. I recommend whipping up a batch of my Chive and Parsley Pesto (because chives and parsley are both a blessing to potatoes). But regular Basil Pesto also works just fine! Crème Fraîche Meanwhile, put the garlic in a mortar, add a large pinch of salt and crush to a paste. Add the thyme and walnuts, and crush the lot into breadcrumb-sized pieces. (If your mortar is small, pulse/blitz the ingredients in a small processor instead.) If you’ve not heard of ‘Nduja before, it’s quite similar to chorizo in flavour. Originating from Italy, ‘Nduja is a spicy pork sausage with an extremely soft texture. This soft texture means it’s able to melt seamlessly into sauces for an a gorgeously intense flavour.