This week's recipe definitely is in the "don't knock it unless you've tried it" category. The combination of smoked fish roe and black pudding sounds an odd one, but, in fact, the smokiness of the roe matches the black pudding's earthiness in most satisfactory fashion. Pasta provides the base, and agood handful of chopped parsley helps to link everything. Finding the right key ingredients will require careful shopping. The roe must be firm enough to cut into cubes (use a very sharp, thin-bladed knife), and the black pudding should hold its shape once its skin has been removed. If neither reaches these expectations, it's not a disaster. The dish will work just as well if they are crumbled rather than cubed. It simply won't look as tidy. 300g dried rigatoncini, penne or other short pasta
salt
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
250g firm smoked fish roe, cut into 1cm cubes
1 black pudding, skinned and cut into 1cm cubes about 1 cup
2 cloves garlic, part-crushed and chopped
1 Tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
1 scant Tbsp butter
sea salt and fresh-ground black pepperWine match
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt generously. Add pasta, stir, then boil for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a frypan and add fish roe and black pudding. Cook, stirring carefully, for a minute or two then add garlic. Cook until the roe and garlic just begin to colour. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frypan with the parsley. Stir carefully or toss to mix and season to taste. Add the butter and let it melt through the mixture just before serving in warmed pasta bowls.
This is a versatile dish to find a matching wine for. The smoked roe suggests an oak-aged chardonnay, but the earthiness of the black pudding steers us to a red with a dash of rusticity. From Nelson, Waimea Estate Merlot/Malbec 2008 was matured in a line-up of French and American oak barrels, and that has given it the hint of smokiness that we need. It has lashings of delightfully sweet-edged, plum-like fruit on the palate, with just the right amount of tannin for its middle-weight style. You should find it for a little over $21.
