I love discovering a new food, especially when it has a great name that sounds like an Italian movie star. Fregola Sarda, is my latest find. These hand-crafted, toasted, nutty pearls of a pasta are incredibly versatile. I use them in this recipe to make a toasted and roasted tabouleh.
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1.5 cups fregola sarda
- 4-5 Persian cucumbers, whole
- 6-8 large radishes, trimmed and halved
- 1.5 T lemon juice
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 4.5 T olive oil plus a little more
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup mint, finely chopped
- ¾ cup oven-roasted or sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 head roasted garlic
- ½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
- 4 oz. crumbled feta
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- 1Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring chicken stock to a boil and stir in fregola sarda. Cook about 15 minutes, until al dente. Drain and put in a large bowl.
- 2Toss radish halves and whole cucumbers in a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. Vegetables should begin to brown but still be firm. Remove from oven and let cool. Slice cucumbers and quarter the radishes. Reserve.
- 3Put the lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss pasta with dressing.
- 4Add roasted cucumbers, radishes, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, mint, walnuts, and feta to the pasta and toss again.
