Fregola Sarda

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 fresh sausages
• 500 g pasta (Fregola Sarda)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 1 shot of dry white wine
• 1 liter vegetable broth
• 20 g butter
• 40 g Pecorino or Parmesan
• Leaf parsley, fresh
• Fleur de Sel
• Pepper, from the mill

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

Pastasotto with Italian sausages

Skin the sausages, crumble them, and fry them in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until crispy. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat them in the sausage oil with the fennel seeds and add the fregola sarda. Sauté briefly, deglaze with a splash of white wine, and allow to reduce completely. Add a little more stock at a time and let it simmer. Repeat this process until the fregola are al dente after about 10-12 minutes. The consistency should be thick, similar to risotto. Stir in two-thirds of the sausage, two-thirds of the parsley, the butter, and the grated pecorino cheese. Season with freshly ground pepper and fleur de sel. Serve the fregola on warmed plates, sprinkle with the remaining sausage crumbs and flat-leaf parsley, garnish with a Parmesan sail, if desired, and serve with baguette. The amount of fregola in this recipe is for a pasta sotto as a main course, at approximately 120g per person, and for a starter or side dish, allow approximately 60g of fregola per person. Tip: Fregola also tastes great with any finely chopped vegetables as a vegetarian dish. Particularly delicious variations include spinach and Gorgonzola, mushrooms and fresh tomatoes, or vongole and bottarga.