Fregola con le vongole, or fregula in dialect, is a traditional Sardinian dish, homemade by farmers. It’s a particular type of pasta made with semolina, which as a spherical shape like cous cous, but larger. It’s cooked with clams, snails or in minestrone soups, and prepared at home in copious portions to be enjoyed at a later time. It has a very delicate taste and it’s for this reason that it can be coupled with stronger flavors, such as clams, seafood or pecorino cheese.
How to prepare the fregola at home
Production is entirely handmade and that’s why it results in sets of irregular grains, slightly different in size. Take 9 oz durum wheat semolina and roll it out, a little at a time, in a deep dish or plate. Add a little lukewarm water in which you have dissolved a pinch of salt and start "massaging" the semolina with just the fingertips until it gathers into small balls. Spread the fregola on a cloth and let it dry overnight. Then transfer it to a baking tray and put it in the oven at 350° F for 15 minutes. Once cooked, let it cool before using it.
Fregola with Clams recipe
A very rich recipe and that’s why it’s considered to be a unique dish. In some versions, in addition to clams, mollusk and crustaceans are also added creating a triumph of flavors from the sea. Take 2 lb clams, let them clean out for at least two hours in copious amount of water and salt, then rinse and put them in a pan to open them up. Once they have opened, filter the cooking liquid and set it aside. Shell most of the clams, keeping only a few with the shell for decoration. In another pan, sauté a clove of garlic in a little oil, add 9 oz fregola and toast for a minute. Add the liquid from the clams and, if necessary, a glass of water. Cook stirring constantly until the fregola is ready and the liquid is absorbed. Add the clams and decorate with chopped parsley. For an even tastier dish, add some mullet roe in small flakes.