'Nduja Orzo
This 'Nduja Orzo tastes luxurious enough to serve guests, but is easy enough to whip up on a weeknight!
Servings: 4
Cost: £2.50 / $3
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Deep Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Jug (for stock)
- Fine Cheese Grater
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 Shallots, finely diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic
- 2 tsp finely diced Fresh Rosemary
- 90g / 3oz 'Nduja (see notes)
- 45g / 1.5oz Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
- 1 litre / 4.25 cups Chicken Stock, plus more if needed
- 400g / 2 cups uncooked Orzo
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 40g / 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more to serve if desired
- 2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley, save some to garnish
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large deep pan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the shallots and fry until soft and golden, then add the rosemary & garlic and fry for a minute longer. Add the 'Nduja & tomato puree and fry for a minute.
- Stir in the orzo then stir in the stock and cream. Stir in the lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat slightly and allow everything to bubble away until the sauce thickens and the orzo is al dente, stirring fairly regularly. If the sauce dries out before the orzo has cooked, just stir in more stock a splash at a time. If you run out of stock just use boiling water.
- Stir in the parmesan and parsley until they blend with the sauce, then check for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve with parsley and parmesan (if desired) then tuck in and enjoy!
Video
Notes
a) 'Nduja - This is a spicy spreadable sausage from southern Italy. It's got a gorgeous smoky, tart flavour. You'll find it in some supermarkets, sometimes called Nduja Paste (Waitrose/Sainsbury's). You'll definitely find it online or in Italian stores.
b) How to prevent the sauce curdling - Important that you're using double/heavy cream. This will prevent the lemon juice curdling the sauce. Also, try and make sure the stock isn't piping hot and the cream is at room temp. Sometimes pouring fridge-cold cream into boiling stock causes it to curdle.
c) Parmesan - Make sure it's freshly grated. The powdery stuff doesn't always melt into a silky sauce and can sometimes turn it grainy.
d) Serving - Great as it is because it's so rich and hearty. But you could also add some sliced chicken on top as I've done here!
e) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4 with no chicken or extra parmesan.
Nutrition
Calories: 653kcal | Carbohydrates: 85.2g | Protein: 16.32g | Fat: 28.83g | Saturated Fat: 14.915g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.812g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9.254g | Trans Fat: 0.428g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 641mg | Potassium: 522mg | Fiber: 11.7g | Sugar: 2.33g | Vitamin A: 1119IU | Vitamin C: 6.2mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 1.78mg