Frégula soup and Arselle

Arrange the durum wheat semolina in a large bowl, leaving the center free. Pour two tablespoons of hot water and stir it slowly with your hand from the center outwards, forming rough balls of variable size, between 2 and 4 millimeters. Add a little water at a time only when the durum wheat semolina it turns out dry: the balls must remain irregular and separate.

Transfer the fregula balls onto a baking pan and insert them into a very hot oven but turned off for 30 minutes. Let them toast in the residual heat until they take on an uneven color and a dry surface. This phase should accentuate the aroma of the durum wheat semolina without burning the smaller parts.

Cover the arselle with water in a container and let them purge the sand for a few hours. After the necessary time, drain them carefully, avoiding returning them to the bottom of the shells. The shells must be clean before cooking.

Transfer the arselle in a shallow pan wide and cook them over high heat For the minimum amount of time necessary to open the shells. Keep some of the mollusks in their shells, peel the rest, and collect them separately. Carefully strain the water released during cooking and save it: it will add flavor to the stock.

Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a earthenware pot And gently sauté The cloves of garlic until lightly golden. Add the sun-dried tomato cut into strips and let it cook briefly, without letting it brown. Then add the crushed tomatoes and mix until the dressing is smooth and fragrant.

Pour a litre of water into the pot and add the filtered water from the arselle. Raise the heat Bring the liquid to a boil; it should be boiling steadily and evenly before adding the fregula. Adjust the salt carefully, considering the natural saltiness of the shellfish water.

Add the toasted fregula to the boiling liquid and cook it over low heat, stirring just enough to keep it submerged and separated. Continue cooking until the pasta is still firm and the bottom is liquid but not watery. Avoid overcooking: the fregula will continue to absorb liquid even after you turn off the heat.

Add the arselle Shelled and shelled peas a few minutes before the end of cooking. Let them warm at the bottom without boiling too long, so the flesh stays tender and the shell retains its appearance. Turn off the heat when the soup is piping hot and the fregula is still soft. al dente.

Turn off the heat and complete with a small bunch of parsley. Stir gently to distribute the shellfish and seasoning, then serve the soup immediately, piping hot. The perfect result is a smooth soup, fragrant with tomato and seafood, with wrinkled, firm fregula balls; waiting too long would cause the pasta to overcook.