I recently got sent an extremely decent care package from the guys at DELLI, a new delivery service supporting some of London’s best local producers.
And it was packed with some hot shit. Figuratively and literally.
The jar of vegan ‘Nduja paste from Teo’s Pizza (https://www.teospizza.co.uk), based in South East London, is delicious.
Teo’s nduja-ish is a giant warm hug, and one which I’ve been embracing frequently since opening DELLI‘s package. It’s a perfect level of spice, and can be easily used in so many different dishes.
My jar is now empty (sad), but before I polished it all off, I used it in this vegan ‘Nduja, fennel & sausage ragu, with grilled broccoli & garlic, creamy mash, and toasted fennel seeds.
Shopping list (serves 4)
Ragu:
Teo’s nduja-ish paste x 1 & 1/2 tbsp
Large fennels (thinly sliced) x 2
Plant-based sausages x 8
White onion (finely diced) x 1
Sundried tomatoes x 80g
Cherry tomatoes (halved) x 80g
Garlic cloves (minced) x 2
White wine x 200ml
Vegetable stock x 1.2L
Mash:
Potatoes (peeled & halved) x 1kg
Extra virgin olive oil x 100ml
Salt
Brocolli:
Large broccoli floret (quartered roughly) x 1
Large garlic cloves (sliced) x 2
Extra virgin olive oil x 50ml
Fresh basil & parsley (chopped) x 1 large handful
Salt
Fennel seeds for toasting x 1 tbsp
Start by setting your oven to 160°C (fan)/180°C for the ragu.
As for the plant-based sausages, just buy whatever brand you like most. Use a griddle pan, or dry frying pan, to brown them evenly over a medium heat, for around 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly, before chopping roughly and setting to one side.
In a dry large pan or casserole dish, simply toast the fennel seeds on a low heat for 10 minutes. This gives them a completely different, more mellow and toasted flavour. Once evenly toasted, remove and keep for later.
In the same pan, fry off the fennel and onion in a glug of neutral oil over a medium heat for 15 minutes, or until everything is starting to caramelise. Add the minced garlic and tomatoes, stirring often, seasoning well with salt and black pepper. After 10 minutes, add the wine and reduce over a high heat. Add the nduja-ish paste along with the chopped sausages, and continue to mix well.
Add the vegetable stock, stir, and cover. Cook in your hot oven for two hours.
In the meantime, place the potatoes in a saucepan of cold, well-salted water, bring to the boil, and simmer for 25 minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the water, and allow to steam dry for at least 15 minutes, before using a ricer (or you can force them through a fine sieve), to get a purée. Add the oil, another pinch of salt, and a splash of water into a saucepan with the potatoes. Keep this on a low heat, mixing well.
Take the ragu out of the oven, and leave covered, before turning on your grill. Once hot, place the broccoli on a flat oven dish with the sliced garlic, oil, and a pinch of salt.
Grill for 15 minutes on the middle shelf, until all pieces of the broccoli are cooked and the garlic is toasted and golden, before removing and adding to a mixing bowl with the herbs. Add a touch more olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Mix together well.
Serve the warm ragu with the creamy mash and grilled brocolli, topped with some toasted fennel seeds.
Enjoy!x
Food and Tunes 