Nduja rigatoni with cherry tomatoes and burrata

Nduja does most of the work in this supper. It melts into a loose red oil that seasons the whole pan, and the sweet cherry tomatoes and the torn burrata do the rest. We make it when we get home late and want something warm on the table in under half an hour. It is the recipe we cook most often from the deli kitchen, and the one we get asked about the most.

Serves: 2. Takes: 25 minutes.

What you need

• 200g bronze-cut rigatoni
• 2 heaped tablespoons Calabrian nduja spread
• 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 tablespoons sweet cherry tomato passata
• 2 tablespoons Coratina extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 burrata, at room temperature
• a handful of basil leaves
• the zest of half a lemon
• sea salt

Method

1. Boil the rigatoni in well-salted water for two minutes less than the packet says.
2. Warm the oil, garlic and nduja in a wide pan until the nduja melts into a loose red oil, about two minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes cut side down for five minutes until they soften and catch, then stir in the passata.
4. Save a mug of the pasta water, drain, then toss the pasta in the sauce with a splash of the water for two minutes until it turns glossy.
5. Serve in warm bowls with the burrata torn over, basil, lemon zest and a last drizzle of Coratina oil.

Why it works

Bronze-cut pasta has a rough, chalky surface, so the sauce clings to every tube instead of sliding to the bottom of the bowl. The nduja does the seasoning for you, which means you need very little salt, and the cool burrata brings the heat back down without hiding the chilli. We like a wide pan rather than a deep one, because the tomatoes need room to catch and caramelise rather than steam, and that little bit of colour is where most of the sweetness and depth comes from.

Make it your own

A spoon of ricotta instead of the burrata makes the whole thing softer and a touch lighter. In spring we stir a spoonful of wild garlic pesto through the sauce right at the end, and in summer we swap in a handful of halved datterini if the cherry tomatoes are not at their best. If you like more heat, a little smoky chipotle chilli oil swirled in at the table does the trick, and a scattering of toasted breadcrumbs on top adds a lovely crunch.