And . . . Look up, mister. That's some Nduja hanging there flanking the homemade Sopressata. Quizzed about how come we knew of this, we related how we were introduced to Nduja at the Antonio Mozzarella Factory in Springfield, New Jersey (see previous post). Turns out they're cousins. Anyway, now we have Nduja virtually right around the corner.
Nduja." Pronounced variously, In-dooh-ja, In-dooh-yah, and dooh-yah. Per Wikipedia, "'Nduja is a spicy spreadable sausage made with pork. It is typically made with parts of the pig such as the shoulder, belly and jowl as well as tripe, roasted peppers and a mixture of spices. It is a Calabrian variation of salami, loosely based on the French Andouille introduced in the 13th Century by the Angevins.
All right, so how does it taste? Very, very tasty. Rosario served us two nice big bites on a slice of Italian bread. Everyone in the shop got a sample too. Everything you want in a pepperoni, all the spice, all the flavor; but with SPICE. And complexity. Serious and lingering heat. Not punishing, but it definitely speaks to you. There's a good bit of roasted red pepper in the mix and it shows itself in a nicely balanced way.
As you can already tell, it is definitive just on a slice of good Italian bread or cracker; or bruschetta, if you're not in a rush. I like to prepare my lady fair a breakfast which will include fried potatoes with a bit of 'Nduja melted in just before serving. Maybe with some thin sliced scallion to please the eye and keep to the flag of Italia colora. And, mixed with pasta. Pizza. Soups and stews. Mixed into a cream cheese spread. Give a bowl of Chili a kick. Wow!
