Have you heard of Fregola Pasta, also known as Fregula or Fregola Sarda? It is an interesting type of pasta from Sardinia. You probably thought of couscous at first, because that's exactly what this specialty reminds us of, which is why it is sometimes called “Sardinian couscous”. Sardinian pasta is something between noodles and grains, has a nutty aroma and an uneven texture. We will introduce you to the Fregola Sarda Pasta and give you a few Fregola recipes - one with which you canPrepare the side dish yourselfand another for a delicious pasta salad.
So as you have already learned, Fregola Pasta comes from theItalian islandSardinia and is visually reminiscent of Israeli couscous. However, that is deceptive because they taste quite different. Additionally, Fregula is made by hand and not with a machine like couscous. The noodles have a round shape and are made from semolina. This is the coarse part of the durum wheat that is left over when the grain is milled. Added to that is just water. Everything is then pre-roasted, which gives the noodles their nutty taste.
In principle, you can use Fregola Pasta for anything you would use couscous or orzo (rice noodles). For example, preparea delicious pasta saladwith the Sardinian pasta or serve it with sauces instead of other pasta. The balls are also very suitable as a rice substitute in risotto or for a Mediterranean stew. So as you can see, this type of pasta is versatile.
Fregola Pasta Rezept
Would you like fregolaPrepare pasta yourself? You only need two ingredients for this purpose! In this recipe, you make the crumbly noodles by hand. It works like this:
For 2 servings:
- 8 tbsp durum wheat semolina
- 4 tbsp water
Prepare the noodles
Line a baking tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 50 degrees. Mix the two ingredients in a bowl by hand until a crumbly dough forms. This may take a little time as it takes time for the semolina to swell. As soon as the lumps have formed (about 5 mm in diameter), the noodles are ready. You won't get perfectly shaped balls. However, if it's important to you, simply form the lumps into balls between your fingers.
Now distribute the fregola pasta evenly on the baking tray and bake it in the oven at 50 degrees for about 20 minutes. Towards the end of the time, you can increase the temperature to 220 degrees for a short time so that the noodles brown slightly and retain their typical aroma. Finally, the pasta should be well dried. Just like normal pasta sounds when you pour it into a container, this is how fregola pasta should sound when it's ready. After the pasta has cooled completely, you can store it in an airtight container in a cool and dark place.
Then prepare the fregola pasta as you would prepare other pasta: cook it in (salt) water. Depending on the size of the grains, it can take 10 to 20 minutes for the noodles to cook.
Sardinian Pasta Fregola – Recipe for pasta salad with radicchio and hazelnuts
Sardinian pasta is wonderful for a delicious pasta salad. Of course, this should at best be Mediterranean. Here's a delicious idea that you can serve as an appetizer, side dish or as aServe a light summer dinnercan:
For 4 servings:
- 3 large eggs
- 200 g Fregola Pasta
- 30 ml olive oil
- 30 g capers, drained and patted dry
- 1 large garlic clove, minced or crushed
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- Juice and zest of a lemon
- 1/2 small head of radicchio or 3 medium endives, cut into thin strips
- Basil leaves, approx. 15 g
- 40 g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Delicious salad with Sardinian pasta
Boil enough water in a pot to cook the three eggs (they should be completely covered with water). Boil them hard for 10 minutes. In the meantime, prepare an ice bath into which you will then add the boiled eggs. After resting for 3 minutes, you can peel and finely grate the eggs. Season with salt and set aside. Then prepare the fregola pasta according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the capers and garlic and fry until the capers begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat, discard the garlic and stir in the salt. Place the fregola pasta in a salad bowl and toss with the capers and olive oil. Then stir in the lemon juice and zest. Then add the radicchio, basil and most of the hazelnuts, stir and spread the salad on a serving plate. Garnish with the eggs and remaining hazelnuts.
By the way, this salad tastes good toowith couscousand Orzo are wonderful, so you are welcome to try out the other variants.
