Nduja (enduya) has been foodies' flavour of the month for some time and definitely isn't for the faint hearted. However if you're chilli tolerant, it's a great tool to have in the draw. The secret to making the perfect nduja is the ridiculously large quantity of fermented chilli, which kicks off the curing process by lowering the acidity overnight. Ours is available as a sausage or blitzed with olive oil in a jar, which is used in this recipe that was created by Ashley in the wine bar.The honey works well with the chilli. Traditionally, the risotto mix should be folded around the filling but in this case, I couldn't see the point so I mixed everything together. I prefer them small, croquette size anyway.
Enough for quite a few.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and cook the onion for 10 minutes until soft.
Add the rice and gently fry for five minutes - it needs to toast a little but not brown. Tip in the vermouth or wine and cook until completely absorbed and evaporated.
Heat up the stock and stir in the honey.
Finely dice or break up the nduja and add to the rice.
Slowly add the stock, ladle by ladle, until the rice is cooked and the consistency is very thick. You really don't want there to be any unabsorbed liquid at all.
Add the grated cheese and a little seasoning , mix well and cool for an hour or so until it's really sticking together.
Put the eggs, flour and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls. Using clean hands, a spoon or a small scoop form a tbsp of the risotto mix into a ball and roll the balls first in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. You'll find it easier to do about a dozen at a time - or get some help so that you're not endlessly washing your hands. If by any chance they're not sticking together, add a couple of spoons of cornflour to the risotto and mix well.
Fill a pan no more than 1/3 full with vegetable oil and heat to 180°C, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry the balls in batches for three minutes until golden then drain on kitchen paper and serve.