Spilinga is not far from the more atmospheric hilltop town of Nicotera, where we stayed in an elegant albeit empty former palace (we were there off-season) with gorgeous gardens and sweeping views of the countryside out to sea, and headed down to the livelier beachside lower town of Marina di Nicotera, in the foothills, for dinner. Baked to perfection, the gnocchi absorbs the flavoursof the sauce while retaining their tender interior. The dish emerges from the oven with a beautifully bronzed top that promises a delightful crunch with every forkful. As you delve into this culinary creation, you’ll find the heat of the ‘Nduja harmonising with the warmth of the oven-baked gnocchi, creating a balance that’s both comforting and exhilarating. 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 I love serving these like mini loaded potatoes, as such I love using large baby potatoes (Jersey Royal New Potatoes to be specific). Large Fingerling or Anya Potatoes will also work. Sometimes stores also just sell ‘Large Baby Potatoes’. Plus we certainly don't want a boring filling. We want something to liven up our evening, and tastebuds.

My notebook from our guidebook research trip has a note beside a list of Calabrian specialties that ’nduja had been pronounced ‘dooj-ah’ by the woman I chatted to at a stall selling ‘salumi Calabrese’ – cured meats, sausages (salsiccia) and salami such as soppressata di Calabria, all handmade locally – at a morning market in seaside Diamante. Why Is Everyone Talking About ’Nduja Again? As this is an extremely filling pasta dish all you really need to go with it is a simple Mediterranean green salad of some mixed lettuce leaves and chopped assorted peppers. 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. 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.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…

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.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.)

But before I tell you all about ‘nduja, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. If you find our guide to Calabria’s spicy pork paste helpful or you’ve cooked our recipes and enjoyed them, please consider supporting Grantourismo so that we can keep producing delicious recipes and food stories. This pasta with nduja recipe is probably the most well-known way to eat nduja. However, Calabrians also eat it as a dip or spread with bread, in frittata, on pizza or inside arancini! I love pizza with nduja! I've actually had it in the UK at a Pizza Express. They make a pizza Calabrese with it, as well as a calzone 'nduja! Dried fileja pasta from Calabria Cheese: Mozzarella has a subtle and nutty flavour which works well with spicy dishes, as it complements rather than complicates the flavours. You could use any form of mozzarella for this recipe, and trust me when I say there’s plenty to choose from. Gnocchi Bake with ‘Nduja Recipe – Fiery Comfort Infused with Italian Flair 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.Over the next few weeks – or as long as our precious Calabrian sausage paste lasts! – Terence is going to be sharing some of our favourite ’nduja recipes. As Terence publishes his recipes, we’ll tell you more about how you can use nduja and add links here. 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. 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. What is nduja, how do you use ’nduja and where do you buy ’nduja? Here’s our guide to Calabria’s spicy spreadable pork paste that is so beloved in its birthplace of Spilinga that they even have an annual Festival del ’Nduja or Festival of the Spicy Sausage Paste. This is the first post in a new ’nduja recipes series. 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”.

Nduja Pesto: If you can’t find ‘Nduja pesto at your local supermarket, then sundried tomato pesto with minced chorizo is a great alternative. If you’ve read my Risotto alla Milanese recipe, then you’ll know that pasta isn’t a big feature in our home. Living in the North though means we still need our comfort food, and this gnocchi bake with ‘nduja is exactly that. Folks, today I'm delighted to bring you this delicious pesto and mozzarella stuffed baked potatoes recipe.It's especially suitable as a sauce. That's how I've used it here. Mixing it with tasty mozzarella cubes to create a unique and authentic Italian filling. 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. Every restaurant, bar and shop in Marina di Nicotera seemed to sell ’nduja, as did delicatessens, supermarkets and gourmet food shops in every town and city across Calabria, especially tourist destinations, such as Tropea and Pizzo. If you’re not getting to Calabria on your next Italy trip, head to the finest salumeria you can find in Italian cities such as Naples, Rome, Florence, Milan, Modena, etc, and you should find yourself some ’nduja. Bring a 20cm or 8" saucepan of water to a boil and season it generously with salt (1½ teaspoons for a pan this size). 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