Fregola

One of the many cooking magazines I subscribe to is The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana. It has become one of my favorite magazines, and the recipes I've made from it have always been consistent and good. The October 2003 issue has a recipe for a Cannellini Bean and Sardinian Fregola Soup that I have been eager to try.

Fregola is a Sardinian pasta somewhat similar to couscous. It's handmade with course semolina and water and then rubbed to form the little pellets of pasta. The pasta is then toasted to impart a nutty flavor and when cooked it is chewy but not gummy. It comes in small and medium sizes (and I think large but don't quote me). Years ago I tried to make a traditional Easter Grain pie thinking that Fregola was the grain that was used, having a recipe that only called for " boiled grain" I bought a bag of Fregola and it sat in my cabinet for a very long time before I tossed it, never having made the pie. I've eaten Fregola with Clams and it's delicious (here's a recipe), but so far I've never cooked with it. Part of the problem is I've never found a recipe that really grabbed me. I recently asked my friend’s mother what she used in her grain pie and she told me wheat berries, so I may have saved myself a lot of heartache by never making that grain pie with Fregola all those years ago. Ack! This entry is getting longer than I expected.

SO, this month I opened my latest issue of The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana and inside was a recipe for soup using Fregola that grabbed my attention...

From The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana,

Cannellini Bean and Sardinian Fregola Soup

Ingredients

• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 10 ounces Sardinian Fregola (if unavailable, substitute barley or couscous
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves only
• salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large pot, warm the vegetable stock. Place the cannellini beans in a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth, adding a little water if necessary. Add the cannellini bean puree to the pot with the vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Add the fregola, and cook until al dente about 10 minutes.

In a small skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil with rosemary leaves to infuse the flavor of the oil. Add this infused oil to the soup, reserving the rosemary leaves for garnish. Season the soup with salt and pepper, and served garnished with the rosemary leaves. Serves 4.

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I have not yet made the soup, and probably won't get a chance until early next week, but I already see how I would modify it for my tastes. I would puree a couple of cloves of garlic in with the beans and then add a healthy squeeze of lemon juice into each bowl before serving, but that's just my tastes, I'm sure the soup is delicious the way it is, either way, I'll know next week.

Written by Deb on September 11, 2003 10:58 AM