Calabria — the combination of dried sweet peppers and nduja in pork preparations is specifically Calabrian and reflects the depth of the Calabrian dried pepper tradition. The preparation is found throughout the Calabrian interior, most strongly in the Vibo Valentia and Cosenza provinces.
Stufato di maiale alla calabrese is the Calabrian pork braise — shoulder or neck pieces slow-braised with sweet dried peppers (peperoni rossi essiccati — whole dried sweet peppers), nduja stirred in at the end, and finished with fresh basil and raw olive oil. The dried sweet pepper dissolves into the braising liquid and creates a deep, slightly smoky, sweet-red sauce. The nduja, added in the last 10 minutes, dissolves and disperses its spiced fat through the sauce. The combination of sweet dried pepper and spiced nduja produces a flavour complexity that is specifically and intensely Calabrian.
Stufato di maiale alla calabrese in the bowl is deeply red-orange from the dissolved peppers and nduja — the pork has absorbed all the flavours of the long braise; the sauce is thick and slightly sticky, intensely fragrant with sweet pepper and spiced nduja. The fresh basil adds a clean note of contrast. With Calabrian pane di casa, it is the most forcefully flavoured pork preparation in the Italian repertoire.
Sear pork shoulder pieces in olive oil until deeply browned on all sides. Add sliced onion and cook until golden. Add whole dried sweet Calabrian peppers (previously toasted briefly over a flame to intensify the flavour); add white wine and reduce. Cover with water; braise 1.5-2 hours until the pork is completely tender. Remove dried peppers (their flesh has dissolved into the sauce; discard any remaining skin). In the last 10 minutes, add 2-3 tablespoons nduja — it will dissolve and colour the sauce red-orange. Finish with fresh basil and a thread of raw olive oil. The sauce should be thick and slightly sticky.
Calabrian dried sweet peppers (peperoni essiccati dolci) are available from specialist Italian food suppliers online; they are the same varieties that produce peperoncino and peperoni cruschi but harvested earlier as sweet peppers. The brief toasting over a gas flame before adding to the braise develops the flavour significantly — 10-15 seconds per pepper, turning constantly.
Adding nduja too early — nduja burns and turns bitter if cooked for more than 10-15 minutes; add at the very end. Insufficient dried sweet pepper — the peppers are the body and colour of the sauce; use at least 3-4 whole dried peppers per kg of pork. Using regular chilli instead of Calabrian dried sweet peppers — the sweet pepper is essential for the colour and mild smokiness; hot chilli alone produces a different, less complex result.
Slow Food Editore, Calabria in Cucina; Anna Gosetti della Salda, Le Ricette Regionali Italiane