In Roman dialect, the term Fregnaccia means nonsense, lie, and nuisance, but in the tradition of Central Italy it also indicates a type of pasta, similar to a large, thick Maltagliato, so called to indicate the simplicity of a dish that wins you over with the flavour of its few, delicious ingredients. Here is the recipe for the second meeting with the Rieti-Viterbo Chamber of Commerce, Fregnacce alla sabinese.
And what are these extraordinary ingredients?
The Ovalone Rietino Tomato P.A.T. (i.e. traditional Italian agri-food product) of the Tenuta San Giovanni Farm of Gianfranco Gianni.
The Azienda Olearia’s Leccino Olives Bonifazi Oil
Petrucci’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the lively The Three Doors Sabino chilli pepper
In preparing the recipe from the book ‘La Cucina Sabina’ by Maria Giuseppina Truini Palomba, we were guided by chef Marco Bartolomei and the result was a feast for the whole family.
Enjoy the journey and bon appétit!
Fregnacce Sabina style
49.3 carbohydrates per 100g of unseasoned Fregnacce
Ingredients for Fregnacce
- 300g fresh pasta flour mix Molino Dallagiovanna** (for gluten-free version, see below)
- 180g water (or however much you need to have a consistent dough)
- a pinch of salt
Ingredients for sauce
- 500g peeled Ovalone tomato
- 100g Leccino olives in brine
- 1 clove of garlic
- parsley, chilli pepper, salt and extra virgin olive oil
**Ingredients specific for celiacs
*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on Prontuario AIC)
Preparation
- Knead the flour with a pinch of salt and enough water to obtain a firm, homogeneous dough. Fate riposare la pasta in un sacchetto di plastica per circa 15 minuti.
- Divide the dough in half and roll it out with a rolling pin to a not-too-thin thickness, forming a large disc that you will leave to air dry for about half an hour. Roll each disc to form a large cylinder and cut it with the knife blade at an angle with the tip pointing once to the right and once to the left so that the resulting pieces are diamond- shaped.
- Prepare the sauce by putting the clove of garlic in oil with the chilli pepper. Brown the garlic well, then add the tomato after having mashed it well with a fork to make it homogeneous. Cook the sauce for about twenty minutes, seasoning with salt, then add the olives and chopped parsley and leave to season for another 10 minutes.
- Boil the pasta in boiling salted water and when it rises to the surface, drain it, toss it in the pan with the sauce and leave it to season for a few minutes.
- Serve your pasta immediately because the saying in Romanesco goes ‘Cook the Fregnacce and eat them right away’.
Fregnacce Sabina style ready to be thoroughly enjoyed
Version with gluten of Fregnacce Sabina style
Replace the Molino Dallagiovanna fresh pasta flour mix with an equal amount of wheat flour, adjusting the amount of water needed for kneading.
