Rigatoni with N'Duja & Shrimp
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped small
- 1/3 cup Fortuna's n'duja (a spreadable type salami)
- 1 can Mutti Cherry tomatos
- 1, 400 g bottle tomato passata -we like Conte
- 1, 28 oz. can tomato puree
- hand full fresh basil leaves (about 10)
- 1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup heavy or light cream
- 1 lb. of 16-20 count large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- 1/4 cup grated Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving and more the pasta
- 1 lb. of a large pasta such as rigatoni or calamata
- 1 burrata ball or a dollop of ricotta
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put up a pot of water for the pasta. In a large, deep skillet or sauce pan, add the olive oil and garlic. Cook on medium to medium-high until the garlic starts to get golden, then add the nduja, breaking up as it cooks. It will start to melt.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook until the tomatoes just start to soften. Add the tomato sauce and the tomato passata. Mix well and turn the heat up to medium high. Tear the basil pieces into small pieces and add to the sauce. Mix well.
- Add the pasta to the boiling, salted water . Reserve 1 cup of pasta water
- When the sauce begins to bubble, add the red wine and stir. At this point, look at the consistency of the sauce. You will need to add a minimum of a quarter cup of pasta water, but if the sauce looks thick, add the remaining 1/4 cup . Stir and let cook for 20 minutes.
- On low heat, add the cream and cheese to the sauce and stir until incorporated. Add the shrimp to the sauce and let cook about 8-10 minutes until cooked through.
- Drain the pasta. Pour the pasta back into the pot and add about 3 tablespoons of Pecorino Romano cheese. Mix well. Then begin to ladle the sauce into the pasta. Mix well.
- Transfer to a serving dish and top with a sprinkling of Pecorino and at the last minute add a burrata ball. If you can not find burrata use a heaping spoon of good whole milk ricotta tastes great too.