Risotto with 'nduja and stracciatella cheese

• 10 minutes to prepare • 25 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

From Spilinga with fieriness

'Nduja is a cured spicy sausage originally from Calabria. It was traditionally made with parts of the pig such as the shoulder and belly, as well as tripe, roasted peppers and a mixture of spices. It is a Calabrian variation of salame, loosely based on the French andouille introduced in the 13th century by the Angevins.

Spreadable like butter. Spicy, Tangy and Delicious. 'Nduja is a very versatile ingredient. In a hot pan, it melts into a piquant oil that adds oomph, complexity and a bit of fire to all kinds of savory foods, from pasta sauce to vinaigrette. At room temperature, it can be smeared on good bread and served alongside a salad as dinner, or layered on grilled cheese, even a burger. The result rarely fails to raise the pulse rate. Just a dollop is able to add game-changer umami flavor to your recipe.

Today we will use it in an amazing risotto recipe, in which the piquancy of 'nduja is perfectly balanced by the delightful richness of stracciatella cheese.
This recipe is another masterpiece of chef Caffarri, here linked.

Ready to fire up your meal with a schmear of ‘nduja?

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

 

320 g Carnaroli rice 
50 g 'nduja di Spilinga sausage
100 g stracciatella cheese
1 glass white wine
50 g grated Parmesan cheese
50 g butter
salt

1. Pour 1 l of water in a large pot and bring to boil. Add salt - the same amount you would use to  cook pasta -
2. Cut the skin of the 'nduja with the tip of a sharp knife and remove it. Cut the salame into nibbles of equal size
3. Cut the butter into cubes about 1-cm side
4. Pour the rice into the pan and let it toast for 1 minute
5. Bring the white wine to boil in a small pan
6. Simmer the rice with the boiling wine and stir until it evaporates
7. Cook the rice, adding a spoonful of boiling salted water at a time (please refer to the cooking time indicated on the rice package)
8. Place stracciatella cheese in a colander, being careful to collect the milk draining from it in a small bowl. Keep both the cheese and the liquid aside
9. When the rice is almost done, add the 'nduja and some more water if needed. Stir to mix
10. Now the risotto is al dente and you may turn off the heat. Stir in the butter, then add the grated Parmesan cheese
11. Let risotto to sit for a couple of minutes, then serve with a spoon of stracciatella cheese on top and some stracciatella milk around it

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.

Amàru chi lu puorcu nun ammazza, 'a vidi e la disiddera 'a sasizza. *

(Proverb from Calabria)

* Woe betide anyone who does not kill the pig: then he see and want the sausage.