RECIPE / RALPH SCHELLING

Rigatoni with nduja

This week Schelling shares a simple, salty and satisfying pasta dish with smoky nduja and a tart tomato sauce (using either a ready-made passata or tinned tomatoes). Feel free to riff on the ingredients too. “I recently had a similar dish made with sobrassada sausage with salted ricotta at my Swiss colleague Richard Kägi’s house,” says the chef. Enjoy. Serves 4

• Ingredients:
• 6 tbsps olive oil
• 250g nduja, cut into thick slices
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
• 400ml passata
• 350g pasta, such as rigatoni
• Parmesan, to taste (have plenty on hand)

• Method:
• 1. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the nduja on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until crispy and oil is released.
• 2. Add the chilli flakes and sauté for 30 seconds, then add the tomato sauce and capers. Turn down the heat a little and leave to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 3. Now cook the pasta in salted water (according to packet instructions minus two minutes).
• 4. Save 100ml or so of the starchy pasta water, drain the pasta and mix with the sauce. Now add the pasta water and continue to simmer for a minute or two until the sauce is combined.
• 5. Divide equally between four bowls, top with parmesan cheese and serve warm.