How To Make Padella’s ‘Nduja Fettuccine

Since opening in Borough Market in 2016, Padella has stood as one of London’s most sought-after restaurants, known for serving some of the capital’s finest pasta. And now, founder Tim Siadatan is sharing some of the secrets behind his dishes in a brand-new cookbook, Padella: Iconic Pasta at Home. 

Out this week, the book features easy-to-follow recipes for a whole host of Padella favourites, from the legendary beef shin ragu to the pici cacio e pepe. ‘It’s coming up to 10 years, so it feels as though we’ve got enough under our belt to have something to say,’ Siadatan tells C&TH. ‘There’s something in there for everyone – lots of straightforward, easy, quick dishes that you can easily get your ingredients from a supermarket, all the way through to slightly more intricate, more gnarly ingredients for more confident cooks.’

Here, we share Siadatan’s recipe for another long-time menu favourite, the fettuccine with ‘nduja, lemon and mascarpone. ‘I’ve always wanted to make a pasta dish using ’nduja (pronounced en-do-yar) where the chilli didn’t blow your head off,’ writes Siadatan. ‘In this recipe, the addition of mascarpone mellows the spiciness of the sausage and creates a smooth and creamy sauce, lending richness. 

‘The strength of ’nduja varies, so you may need to use a bit more or less – taste it first and adjust accordingly,’ Siadatan continues. ‘The acidity in the lemon brings balance, harmony and zing to the dish. It rarely comes off the menu at Padella.’

Padella Recipe: Fettuccine With ‘Nduja, Lemon & Mascarpone

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 450g fresh fettuccine*
• About 75g ’nduja 
• 500g mascarpone
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Sea salt
• Parmesan, finely grated, to finish

Method:

1. Put the ’nduja into a bowl and bring to room temperature, so it becomes malleable. Add the mascarpone and lemon zest and mix together until well combined to form a smoothish paste. (This can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.)
2. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4–5 litres water to the boil and add a fistful of salt.
3. Put the ’nduja-mascarpone paste into a pan large enough to easily hold the cooked pasta. Add half a mug (about 120ml) of the seasoned pasta water and heat gently, stirring, to melt the paste and create a sauce. Take off the heat.
4. Loosen the pasta bundles so they won’t stick together as they cook.
5. Drop the fettuccine into the boiling water and cook for about 1–1½ minutes. Drain the pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water.
6. Transfer the pasta to the ’nduja sauce and add half a mug (about 120ml) of pasta water, the lemon juice, chopped parsley and a pinch of salt.
7. Stir vigorously for at least 30 seconds until all the ’nduja is mixed around the pasta and you have a smooth, creamy sauce. If the sauce is too dry, add splashes of the reserved pasta water to loosen it as you stir: you want it to be loose and for the strands of pasta to slide freely over each other, and for a layer of sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and/or pepper if required.
8. Serve on hot plates with a creamy halo of sauce around the pasta. Finish with grated Parmesan.
9. Note: The sauce sucks up the Parmesan quickly and can easily become dry. So, be sure to have that excess halo around the plated pasta: my visual reference for the sauce is a slow-moving lava field.

Also works with: fresh pici or dried fettuccine, spaghetti, bucatini, linguine, penne, fusilli or farfalle.

Padella: Iconic Pasta at Home by Tim Siadatan is out 11th September (Bloomsbury Publishing, Hardback, £25). Photography by Sam A Harris.