Recipe: Fried Egg ’n’ ’Nduja Sandwiches

 

Excerpt from Ari’s Top 5 enews

Scrumptious, spicy, super good

A fried egg sandwich made with 'Nduja, Calabrian style spicy spreadable salumi Spanish-style fried eggs, cooked in full-flavored extra virgin olive oil, are one of the best quick meals I know. The key is the quality of the oil and the eggs. Once you get used to cooking eggs this way, I feel confident you’re likely to stick with it! Nduja is the amazing spicy spreadable salami that’s typical of the Southern Italian region of Calabria. Ours is made by Tony Fiasche—he lives in Chicago, but his grandparents are still in Calabria and his grandfather taught him how to make it. Tony works exclusively with full-flavored heritage pork and the ’Nduja he makes is incredible. You can add it to sauces or pasta dishes with ease, or come by the Roadhouse where the kitchen crew use it with those marvelous Prince Edward Island mussels. Paired up on a toasted Brioche roll from the Bakehouse, you’ll have a world-class sandwich in about six minutes. I ate two for dinner the other evening and I’m ready right now to have another!

To start the sandwich, let the ’Nduja come to room temperature while you’re getting ready to cook.

To fry the eggs, heat a good bit of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet. Use more than you would normally consider doing—the oil is part of the dish (and you can save what’s left to use for other items later). You want the oil to come up around the edges of the eggs, not just coat the surface of the pan. When the oil is hot, crack the eggs into the pan. They will bubble around the edges, making them crisp. Break the yolks a bit, and spread them gently so a small bit of yolk works its way over the whites.

For these sandwiches, any Bakehouse bread will work, but I really like the Brioche rolls (the Roadhouse uses them for burger buns). While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread and brush it with more of the olive oil. Spread ’Nduja on one side, or if you’re into spicy pork, on both. Cook the eggs until they’re set. Place an egg on top of the ’Nduja (so the heat of the egg softens the spreadable salami even more), sprinkle with sea salt (the Portuguese Flor de Sal I wrote about last month would be marvelous) and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Eat while it’s hot. Simple, delicious.

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