Vodka Rigatoni with Nduja & Burrata

Vodka sauce needed a reinvention and nduja was the answer. The spreadable Calabrian salami melts into the tomatoes like it was always supposed to be there — adding heat, smoke, and a porky richness that no amount of heavy cream could fake. The vodka is real: it unlocks flavor compounds in the tomatoes that water and fat can't reach.

Drop a whole ball of burrata in the center of each bowl and let the person eating it break it open themselves. That moment is the whole dish.

Suggested accompaniments from Vol. II: arugula salad with shaved Parmigiano and lemon, garlic bread. Soundtrack: Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers.

Chapter: Italian Dinner Party  ·  Cuisine: Italian  ·  Volume: Vol. II — Italian Dinner Party

Ingredients

• 1 lb rigatoni
• 3 oz nduja — casing removed if applicable
• 2 medium shallots — finely minced
• 4 cloves garlic — finely minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ⅓ cup vodka
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes — hand-crushed
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 balls (4 oz each) fresh burrata — brought to room temperature
• 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano — finely grated
• 1 small handful fresh basil — torn
• Kosher salt and black pepper — to taste

Method

1. Render the nduja. Heat olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium. Add nduja and cook, pressing it down with a spoon until it melts and the fat renders into a gorgeous orange puddle, about 3 minutes.
2. Build the aromatics. Add shallots and garlic, stir into the nduja fat. Cook until soft and translucent, 3–4 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir it into the aromatics, and let it cook until it turns a shade darker, about 2 minutes.
3. Deglaze with vodka. Add the vodka. It will sizzle dramatically — let it cook off for 2 minutes, stirring, until the raw alcohol smell is gone.
4. Build the sauce. Add crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce deepens in color and thickens slightly. Stir in cream and simmer 5 more minutes.
5. Cook the rigatoni. Cook rigatoni in generously salted water until just shy of al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining. Add pasta directly to the sauce with a splash of pasta water. Toss over medium heat for 2 minutes until the pasta is glossy and coated.
6. Finish and plate with whole burrata. Finish the pasta with Parmigiano and torn basil. Divide into warm bowls, leaving a well in the center of each. Place one room-temperature burrata ball in that well. Finish with a crack of black pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil. Bring to the table and let each person tear the burrata open themselves.

Cook with intention. Feel and taste your way through it. Keep one clog in the kitchen. Always.
— Brian W. Bonanno