THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2019
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L'Italo-Americano
Fregola with clams is a summery dish, typical in Sardinia
LA BUONA TAVOLA
RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES
MICHELE BECCI
Continued to page 32
Sardinian Fregola with clams
I
was re-arranging my pantry
recently and found a pack-
age of Sardinian fregola.
Memories came flooding
back of my trip to this won-
derful island back in 2008 and, as
importantly, to the amazing food
of the island.
I had come to the island as part
of my quest to visit as many of
the Italian islands as I could. Sar-
dinia itself was breathtaking...
from the hues of blue that were
the sea to the interior mountains
covered with sheep to my favorite
town that was Bosa on the west-
ern edge, where the water was the
bluest of blues, where the air
smelled of salt and brine.
This little town with a river
running through it, rose up and up
from the sea, its homes brightly
colored, the streets wavy and un-
even from the cobblestones. You
could feel the souls of centuries
past as you walked through the
streets of the old village. I still to
this day remember that feeling as
I walked up to the fortress at the
top.
On one bright sunny day, I
stumbled across a little restaurant
set right on the sand at the sea. In
front of me was a dish made from
the smallest, most tender little
clams, which I have come to learn
are called arselle. The broth was
the deepest red, spiked with saf-
fron and the toasty fregola soaked
up all the wonderful flavors as it
swam in this heavenly combina-
tion.
Sardinia's invaders and settlers
have heavily influenced Sardin-
ian distinctive cuisine. Given
Sardinia's strategic location in the
Mediterranean Sea, the constant
wave of invaders has left the cui-
sine of the island heavily influ-
enced by nearby Italy but also by
the far away shores of southern
Europe and Africa. Sardinian fre-
gola is a great example of this, as
it closely resembles couscous, al-
though the little balls are larger
than typical couscous. The pasta
is also toasted, giving any dish
from which it is made a wonder-
fully nutty flavor.
Fregola has also been gaining
in popularity in this country and
is much easier to find than in years
past. If you can find yourself a bag
of this wonderful pasta, do not
hesitate for a second. You of
course can find it easily online
these days. If you do buy, give
this simple recipe a try. You will
not be disappointed.
Fregola is a typical pasta from Sardinia, reminiscent of cous cous
