I know what you're thinking: "Mint does not belong in red sauce." I thought this, too, and we were both extremely wrong. The truth is that, in summer, there are very few places mint does not belong. It brings incredible balance to acidic tomato and meaty, spicy nduja.
Which brings me to the other think you're thinking: "What is nduja?" Well, that's more complicated. If I tell you that it's a meat paste, you may be grossed. But it's not gross at all; in fact, it is delicious red meat butter. Traditional Italian nduja is made of spare pork bits blended up with spicy red peppers. You can't get traditional nduja in the US, because it isn't pasteurized, but you can get an American version of the product from La Quercia, which is what I used here.
This dish tastes complex for how quickly it came together. It's a great light tomato sauce for hot summer nights, and the mint makes it almost refreshing.
The truth is that, in summer, there are very few places mint does not belong.
Notes on the recipe:
I made fresh bucatini to toss in this sauce, but you are under no obligation to do so. Store-bought is fine. I have a lot of time right now.
This may seem like not a lot of olive oil, and it isn't. Nduja is almost entirely fat, so you'll get your richness here.
Nduja is already cooked, so you don't need to cook it. It just needs to get warm to melt into the sauce.
Ingredients:
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1-2 tsp olive oil
1oz nduja
1/4 cup chopped mint (about 6 large leaves)
1 tbsp capers
3/4 tsp kosher salt (or to taste; this is a good starting place)
Pinch of chili flake (to taste; I like it hot)
Pinch of black pepper
If serving with pasta: 1/2 lb fresh pasta or 6oz dry pasta
Sauté the diced shallot, sliced garlic, and half the salt in olive oil on medium heat until translucent. You are not looking for color.
Add the chopped tomatoes and the rest of the salt. Sauté for 10-15 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to break down.
Turn the heat down to low and add the nduja. Break it up in the pan with a wooden spoon until it melts into the veg.
Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down. Once cooled, transfer the mixture to the food processor.
Add black pepper, and then process until smooth.
Taste the sauce. Add chili flake if needs heat. Some ndujas are hotter than others, so it depends on what you used.
If serving with pasta:
Pour your nduja tomato sauce into a pan on low heat.
Cook noodles according to package instructions. Add cooked noodles to warm sauce and coat the noodles.
Turn off the heat and add fresh mint and capers.
If not:
Pour your nduja tomato sauce into a bowl and stir in fresh mint and capers. Use as a sauce for meat or veg, or just dip a big ol' hunk of grilled bread in there.
I used it for pasta and added roasted eggplant, but I think there a lot of possibilities here. If I lived with someone who didn't have a shellfish allergy, I would have loved some shrimp on top. I think it would also be great as a sauce for meat or a spread/dip for bread.
To make this pescatarian, I'd sub two to three anchovy fillets and another pinch of chili flake for the nduja. It'll add similar depth. If you're trying for vegetarian or vegan, you might try some miso here for the salty, briny depth, but I am not an authority on vegan cooking.
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