Main courses
Fregola con Pomodoro e Peperoni (alla Lucana) A southern Italian-inspired fregola dish with a silky tomato sauce, sweet peppers, garlic, basil, and a Lucanian touch from crispy dried peppers and pecorino.
Recipe video
Wash and dry the peppers. Roast them under a hot grill or in a hot oven until blistered, then cover for 10 minutes and peel. Remove seeds and slice into strips.
Warm the broth in a small pot and keep it hot on very low heat.
In a wide sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add finely sliced garlic and optional chili flakes, and cook gently for 30–40 seconds without browning.
Stir in the tomato paste, then add the tomatoes. Season lightly with salt and black pepper and simmer for 8 minutes until slightly thickened.
Add the roasted pepper strips and half the basil. Cook for 3 minutes so the sauce becomes sweet, fragrant, and glossy.
Add the fregola directly to the pan and stir for 1 minute so each grain is coated in sauce.
Add hot broth a ladle at a time, stirring often like risotto. Let the fregola absorb the liquid before adding more.
Cook for about 12–14 minutes, until tender but pleasantly chewy. Add a little extra broth if you want it looser and more creamy.
Turn off the heat. Stir in a spoonful of pecorino for body, then taste and adjust salt.
Plate the fregola, finish with crushed peperoni cruschi, more cheese, basil, and a thin thread of olive oil.
Dish type
Modern Italian pasta course / vegetarian first course
Serve in shallow warm bowls with extra basil, a few crunchy pepper shards, and a small side of toasted rustic bread.
For deeper flavor, roast the peppers until well charred. For a silkier finish, blend a small part of the pepper-tomato sauce before adding the fregola.
Time
35 minutes
Difficulty
Easy to medium
Calories
About 470 kcal per serving
