Fregula con arselle is a blend of old and new. Fregula, a pasta very similar to toasted pearl couscous, has been made in Sardinia for about one thousand years (thanks to contact with the Arab world). Clams, on the other hand, only entered the mainstream island cuisine with the arrival of widespread refrigeration and rise of seaside tourism in the twentieth century. (Before that, Sardinians didn’t catch much fresh seafood, and fregula was paired with vegetable or meat stews.) Today, the clams you’ll encounter most frequently on the Sardinian coast are called arselle, or vongole veraci, small, meaty, Mediterranean, warm-water bivalves that can be substituted elsewhere with Manila clams or littleneck clams. Cook them as an islander would: just barely, so they retain their tenderness and fresh sea flavor without becoming chewy. And if you want to give this dish an additional Sardinian kick, finish it with a dusting of grated bottarga—but don’t you dare put cheese on it. Serving clams with cheese is a mortal sin in Italy.
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus chopped leaves for garnish
2 pounds clams, purged
½ cup dry white wine
1 pound fregula (recipe follows) or pearl couscous
Sea salt
Serves 4 to 6
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it just starts to take color, about 3 minutes. Add the parsley and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the clams and wine.
Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, shaking the pan to coax open the clams. Using tongs, remove the clams just as they open and set aside in a medium bowl.
Add the fregula to the pan with the clam juice. Simmer, adding water as necessary to keep the fregula nearly covered, until the juices in the pan have thickened and the fregula has lost its raw flavor. Add the cooked clams back to the pan and swirl vigorously to combine. Season with salt as needed.
Plate and serve with chopped parsley sprinkled on top.
Recipe: Fregula
Pinch (about 20 strands) saffron
150 grams water
300 grams finely milled durum wheat (farina di semola rimacinata)
Bloom the saffron in the water. Pour 2 tablespoons of water into a fregurera or large bowl. Rain in a fistful of flour and stir with your fingertips in a circular motion (view technique here). Alternate the addition of small amounts of water and flour, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms small balls. Transfer the fregula to a baking sheet. Set aside to dry for 4 hours or dry out in a preheated oven at 300F/150C for 20 minutes.
