Master Chef Australia 2022 | Keymar's Fileja alla Nduja Recipe

This weeks Master Chef Australia 2022 recipe we recreated is from the postcard challenge. Keymar made spicy Fileja alla Nduja, which is a Italian pasta dish from her mother in law.

Ingredients (3-4 portions)

Fileja
300 g remilled semolina flour, plus extra for dusting
120-150 ml water, at room temperature

Nduja Pasta Sauce
4 tbsp olive oil
4 shallots, sliced
600 g canned baby Roma tomatoes
2 sprig fresh basil
180-200 g Nduja saussage
1 ½ tsp sugar
50 g Pecorino Romano, grated
salt & black pepper, to taste

shaved pecorino and fresh baby basil leaves, to serve

Method

  1. For the Fileja, place semolina flour and 120 ml of the water to a food processor. Pulse to a breadcrumb consistency, adding water gradually until the crumbly texture holds together when pressed between fingertips.

  2. Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead for 7-10 minutes, until dough is elastic, smooth and bounces back when pressed with a finger.

  3. Cover with cling film and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

  4. Working with a ¼ of the dough at a time, (keep remaining dough covered), rolling into a ½ cm thick rope. Cut into 9 cm lengths and then wrap each around a lengthways around a skewer in a long spiral. Roll the skewer gently to flatten the dough and create a hollow piece of pasta. Slide the fileja from the skewer and place on a wire rack to dry out. Repeat with remining dough.

  5. Allow to dry for at least an hour (or to speed up the process dry for 20-30 minutes in a 60°C oven).

  6. For the Nduja Pasta Sauce, in a medium pan or pot, heat 1 ½ tbsp olive oil over low-medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent and very soft, at least 8 minutes.

  7. Add tomatoes, basil and a pinch of salt. Simmer until oil comes to the surface, about 8-10 minutes.

  8. Meanwhile, in a large deep fry pan over medium heat, add 1 ½ tbsp olive oil and half of the nduja and cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until caramelised. Remove from the heat.

  9. Remove tomato sauce from the heat and discard basil. Use a stick blender to process to a puree. Pass through a fine sieve into the nduja mixture.

  10. Return to a simmer and add remaining nduja, sugar, pepper and salt, to taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes, adding more nduja, if desired, for a spicier sauce. Reduce heat to very low.

  11. When ready to serve, bring a large wide pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pasta to the simmering nduja sauce, reserving cooking water.

  12. Add cheese, remaining 1 tbsp oil, and ¼ - ½ cup pasta water to the nduja sauce and stir to loosen and emulsify the sauce for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

  13. To serve, spoon some sauce into the base of each serving bowl. Pile pasta on top, spoon more sauce over the top and garnish with shaved pecorino and basil leaves.

  1. ENJOY!