The pasta recipe I wouldn't have discovered if I didn't drink one too many gin & tonics
it's affordable, takes 10 minutes to make, and it's fire (literally)
If itâs 3 or 4 am, youâre drunk and starving, and thereâs ânduja in your fridge, consider yourself saved. And, your bank account too.
You may not think that a drunk person is concentrating on food waste or repurposing when the 6 gin & tonics she consumed that evening created a black hole of hunger in her stomach. However, from my father and grandparents, itâs long been in my genes to make something out of nothing in my fridge.
So there I was, at 3 am staring blankly at the âI havenât gone to the market in 10 daysâ fridge. It was so bad I didnât even have any more olive oil. And, the one lonely carrot was not going to get cut, because knives should be avoided when one is well âgin & toniced.â I peered into my cheese drawer to find a knob of butter and a tightly wrapped piece of ânduja.
The little drunk Lizzie McGuire version of me in my mind went: AHA!
I immediately filled a pot with water for pasta, and after that, it was - well - a blur. The scenes I remember were as follows:
The spaghetti landed in the boiling salted water.
Another pan melted ânduja and butter together, turning into a sauce with a good ladle of pasta water.
The almost al dente spaghetti went into the pan to finish cooking into spicy creamy oblivion.
I do clearly remember that it was so good that I ate it Roman man fast (have you ever noticed how many Italian men eat pasta at a Formula One level velocity?)
Three ingredients (four if you count the salt) are all it took to keep me from spending 15-20+ euros on Trapizzino or pizzaâŠwhich is never a bad idea but still.
Why ânduja should always be in your fridge
This spicy, practically spreadable sausage from Calabria is your best friend. First of all, itâs always there for you. When stored correctly, it can sit in your fridge for months. Second, ânduja is stupid versatile. It integrates into countless recipes, adding the little spicy kick youâre craving. Thatâs because the sausage itself is around 30% Calabrian chili, though it looks like a lot more.
Finally, ânduja is just delicious. Spread some onto a crostino or a fresh piece of bread with stracciatella, mozzarella di bufala, or any fresh cheese to balance the heat, and thank me later.
Of course, I was out of bread too for my drunken escapade so the simplicity of what I described above was not an option. And, neither was a good scarpetta.
Where do you find ânduja?
Living in Italy, you can get ânduja easily at many salumerie or markets. In America, itâs become quite popular as well, although not as common to find. FDA regulations make ânduja a tricky thing (they arenât big fans of meat aged in a piece of intestine). However, you can find ânduja now in many cheese shops, specialty grocery stores, and even larger grocery store chains (like Whole Foods and Kroger), with options mostly from American producers, which are quite good as well.
For you pescetarians: anchovies
If you donât eat sausage, I get it. Thereâs fortunately an alternative - acciughe or jarred anchovies, the more classic provision of the Mediterranean diet. They are just as fabulous and fridge-stable (they can last in their jar for quite a while). Melting anchovies in butter (or olive oil) in a pan is so easy. Of course, you can go a little further to make a classic aglio, olio, e peperoncino - the bulletproof Italian pasta featuring garlic, oil, and peperoncino that is only elevated with anchovies. Itâs quite the staple for drunk Italians. But, weâre talking about a really late drunk night where the fewer ingredients, the less hazardous. I am only half Italian after all.
Side note - you should always have butter and anchovies on hand. Itâs one of those snacks thatâs affordable, but yet so luxurious that it takes budget Queen to a new level. When you want to feel fancy, you can upgrade to nice anchovies like those Spanish boys from Cantabrico or lavish butter, like Burro Occelli.
The official ânduja and butter pasta method
Because I am no good at measuring and therefore recipes.
Ingredients:
A knob of salted butter (a big tablespoon roughly) Extra virgin olive oil is also an option here too.
A spoon of ânduja (you can adjust depending on your spice preference - more ânduja can be added later while mixing the pasta as it breaks down so easily.)
Spaghetti (I think this pasta works best. But, if youâre not sober, itâs really whatever pasta you have on hand.)
Coarse salt for pasta water
Method:
Put a pot full of water on over high heat. When boiling, salt the water then add your pasta.
Get another pan and put it over medium-low heat. Throw in your butter and ânduja. Let the ânduja melt into the butter. DONâT BURN THE âNDUJA.
Add in a ladle of pasta water as the ânduja starts to sizzle to make a spicy broth.
Now, if you are coherent enough, add the pasta to the pan when it isnât quite al dente yet with a little more water. Allow the pasta to boil in the pan itself, watching as the water reduces into starchy heaven.
When the pasta is cooked, itâs all ready. Put it in your favorite bowl and bam youâre happy inside and out!