fregula & clams
hand-made Sardinian pasta served with clams in a saffron and tomato sauce
Fregula with clams
Serve: 6
Ingredients
Dough
400g semolina
230g water
sea salt
Sauce
1kg clams
1 garlic clove
1 red chilli
3 sprigs of fresh parsley
18 saffron threads
400g canned tomatoes
1l vegetable broth
50g white wine
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
Extra note
Prepare the fregula a day ahead, allowing it to dry before toasting in the oven
Making the pasta doesn't require any special equipment - just a large bowl, where you rub the semolina and water together by hand to form the little pearls
If you’re not using clams immediately, remove them from a bag and place them in a bowl, covering them with a damp kitchen towel. Store the bowl on the bottom shelf of the fridge to avoid any cross-contamination
Method
Dough for fregula
Line a baking tray with a kitchen cloth and dust it lightly with semolina.
Next, prepare a large, wide bowl, similar to the one shown below:
Add a pinch of salt to the 230g of water in a container and mix until it’s dissolved.
Place a handful of semolina in a large bowl. Add about a tablespoon of water to the bowl and then begin rubbing the semolina against the water, using your fingers in circular motions. After a few rounds, you will notice tiny ball-like shapes starting to form, similar in size to Lebanese couscous, as shown in the video:
Once most of the flour has formed into little pearls, add another handful of flour along with a bit of water. Continuously stir with your fingers until no dry semolina is left. If the small balls feel too dry, add more liquid for the semolina to cling to water.
After you've made about two handfuls of fregula, transfer it to a sieve or colander and shake off any small bits or excess flour as shown below. Spread the fregula in a single layer on a tray and allow it to dry. Every couple of hours, give the tray a gentle shake to prevent the pearls from sticking together. If they are too soft, dust the pasta with a small amount of semolina and shake again the tray.
Repeat the process of adding the flour and water to the bowl, lightly stirring with your fingers to form tiny balls. Keep going until all the flour has been used up (you might end up using less water than listed in the ingredients).
After the pasta has been dried overnight, preheat the oven to 200°C. Once it's hot, place the tray (without the cloth) in the oven. Make sure not to overcrowd the tray with the pasta. Toast the fregula for about 15 minutes, or until it turns golden yellow with some bits browned as presented below. Keep an eye on the pasta and be careful not to let it burn.
Clams
Inspect the quality of the clams. Get rid of the ones that have any cracks. If there’re any with an open shell, tap it on a counter - if it closes, you’re good to use it, if not, discard it.
Whisk two tablespoons of sea salt in cold water and let it dissolve. Submerge clams in water and soak them for around 1 hour. Purging them gets rid of impurities such as grit and dirt. After one hour, you’ll notice how the unwanted matter floats up to the surface or stays at the bottom of the bowl (see the photo below). Wash the clams one by one under cold water. Clean your sink with hot soapy water!
Heat a pot over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the clams, a parsley stalk and the white wine. Cover with a lid immediately and steam the clams for around 8 minutes, or until all the shells have opened. If any of them remain closed, discard them.
Once cooked, strain the clams, reserving the liquid. To remove any left grit from the liquid, pass it through a gauze-like cotton cloth. Set aside.
If you prefer to have the clams peeled in a dish, now is the time to remove the meat from the shells. I didn’t do this step, as I enjoy working with the shells while eating.
Bloom saffron and prep vegetables
Place saffron threads in a bowl and add warm water. Leave it to steep for about 20 minutes, just like brewing herbal tea.
Thinly slice red chilli, mince garlic cloves and chop parsley.
Sauce
Heat olive oil in a pan over low to medium heat. Add the garlic and red chilli, cooking until they soften. Stir in the canned tomatoes, season with salt, and mix. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.
Next, add the reserved clam liquid and vegetable stock, then stir in the fregula. Add the saffron threads along with their golden water. Continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes (the cooking time largely depends on the size of the pasta).
Add the clams and fresh parsley about 5 minutes before finishing cooking. Give it a stir and season with sea salt to taste.
Serving
Serve the pasta straight away after cooking (it’s not a dish that works well when reheated).
