Table of Contents
- Spicy Sausage & Nduja Ragu – A Comforting Italian Classic
- The Secret to a Rich & Flavoursome Vegetable Ragu
- How to Make a Quick but Luxurious Tomato Sauce
- Perfecting the Art of Cooking Aubergine for Ragu
- What Is Nduja? The Spicy Italian Sausage That Adds Punch to This Dish
- Recipe: Spicy Sausage Aubergine Nduja Ragu
Spicy Sausage & Nduja Ragu – A Comforting Italian Classic
There seems to be no end to the pleasures of an Italian-style tomato sauce. Whether it’s a simple pomodoro, a quick passata with pancetta and Parmesan, or a slow-cooked ragu rich with vegetables and meat, tomato-based sauces are a faithful, long love affair, celebrated year after year.
The Secret to a Rich & Flavoursome Vegetable Ragu
This Spicy Sausage Aubergine Nduja Ragu recipe combines passata and fresh tomatoes to create the rich umami flavour around succulent soft aubergines and courgettes. A double hit of sausage comes from Ndjua, blended through the sauce, then good reliable Cumberlands (or Italian pork sausages if you can find them) nestled on top. This is Italian comfort food at its best.
How to Make a Quick but Luxurious Tomato Sauce
You can use a few little tricks to achieve a deliciously thick, oily, umami-rich sauce in less than an hour. Passata is tomato magic in a bottle and requires only a short cooking time with powerful results. Using homemade or quality store-bought chicken stock will do wonders to give the sauce a texture and flavour unlike anything else.
Finally, stirring in some tasty olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese is an instant boost, and with all these elements combined, you can create the perfect sauce in an hour’s cooking time.
Perfecting the Art of Cooking Aubergine for Ragu
One of the most desirable elements of this dish is a soft aubergine that has been cooked slowly until the texture begins to melt. Some people think it’s no longer necessary to salt aubergines before cooking, but in fact, as with all brines, there’s a good reason for this technique.
As the salt draws out the excess liquid, it leaves a drier, more spongy texture, giving the aubergine room to absorb the flavours. After slow cooking, the structure begins to break down a little and ‘melt’ into the sauce, creating a very creamy and desirable mouth feel and flavour.
What Is Nduja? The Spicy Italian Sausage That Adds Punch to This Dish
Originally from Calabria in southern Italy, nduja is a spicy, spreadable pork sausage that can be eaten on bread or mixed into pasta and other sauces. Although it’s been around for a very long time, Nduja’s popularity in the UK and US skyrocketed around 2016, and it’s now a readily available product on supermarket shelves and online shops. Opt for the jarred variety rather than the sausage, as it’s easier to cook and keeps well in the fridge.
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Recipe: Spicy Sausage Aubergine Nduja Ragu
Spicy Sausage Aubergine Nduja Ragu
Ingredients
- 4 thick pork sausages, Cumberland or Italian pork sausages
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 aubergine
- 1 medium courgette
- 14 dattel or round cherry tomatoes
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 125ml homemade chicken stock, or a high-quality shop-bought version
- 1 tbsp Nduja
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp raw sugar
- 125ml passata
- Olive oil
- 50g grated parmesan + extra for garnish
Shaved Fennel Salad
- 1 small fennel bulb, sliced very fine
- Large handful of crispy lettuce leaves, such as Cos
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Splash of olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cut the aubergine into small chunks, approximately 2cm x 2cm. place in a bowl, season with salt, toss to combine and set aside whilst you prepare the other vegetables.
- Cut the courgette into chunks the same size as the aubergine. Slice tomatoes in half.
- Chop onion finely. Peel and crush the garlic clove.
- Using a small frying pan, dry roast fennel seeds over medium heat until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar & pestle and crush down to a powder.
- Heat some oil in a frying pan and over medium heat start frying the aubergine. After about 10 minutes when it’s starting to brown a little and get soft, pour in a splash of water (or white wine), turn the heat down and cover with a lid. Allow the aubergine to sauté like this for 5 minutes.
- By this point the aubergine should be very soft and surrounded by pan juices. Remove the aubergine from the pan, wipe it down, and add another splash of oil. Start frying the onions until soft. Add garlic, courgette pieces, chopped tomatoes and crushed fennel seeds along with a good pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Combine chicken stock, Nduja, red wine vinegar, sugar and passata in a bowl, whisk to combine. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and allow it to come to a boil. Once boiling turn to simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Fry sausages over medium heat until nicely browned. Add to the vegetable ragu, coating in the sauce and heat through for 5 minutes.
- Make the salad: Combine sliced fennel and lettuce in a bowl. Add a splash of olive oil, squeeze of lemon, sprinkle of salt and combine.
- To finish: Remove ragu from the heat. Take out sausages. Drizzle the ragu generously with olive oil, add grated parmesan and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt if needed.
- Divide vegetable ragu between plates, top with sausages, and garnish with a side of fennel salad. Grate over extra parmesan cheese if you desire.
