Fregola, asparagus and saffron is a colorful, light and delicious spring recipe featuring a special Sardinian pasta. It’s an easy-to-make-at-home dish that bursts with the flavors of spring and focuses on just a few wholesome ingredients with a delicate touch of spice.
Created by Daniel Zeilinga – the executive chef at Fàula Ristorante located in Piemonte’s Casa di Langa nestled amongst the wine regions of Barolo, Barbaresco, and the Alta Langa, this unprecedented recipe brings together fresh seasonal asparagus with fregola, the couscous style pasta from Sardinia known for its nutty flavor and irregular texture made from semolina flour and water.
Fregola, Asparagus and Saffron: Ingredients for 4 people
Procedure
Toast the fregola in a saucepan as if it were risotto, then moisten with vegetable broth. Cook everything for 12 minutes: in the last few minutes of cooking, add the saffron pistils to the fregola, adjust for salt, and place the asparagus, chopped, uncooked, in the pot. Bring to a simmer. Then cream lightly with a knob of butter and two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese (the butter can be substituted with a little extra-virgin olive oil). Serve in a soup dish and garnish with raw asparagus to taste.