This tasty and easy casserole is a wonderful way to enjoy homemade fregola and makes a great accompaniment to braised chicken or veal. If I have not convinced you to make your own, use packaged dried fregola, available at specialty stores or online. Commercial fregola is usually a bit larger than the homemade, so follow the package guidelines for cooking the pasta al dente.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6 as a ¿rst course or 8 as a side dish

　　2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking dish

　　1 cup chopped onion

　　4 ounces pancetta, cut in 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)

　　1 pint cherry tomatoes

　　2 bay leaves, preferably fresh

　　2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

　　1/4 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste

　　8 ounces (about 2 cups) homemade Fregola (preceding recipe)

　　1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino (or half pecorino and half Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano)

　　

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or larger, with a cover; a pot for cooking the fregola; a 3-quart baking dish, 9 by 13 inches, or shallow casserole of similar size

　　

Step 1

Pour the olive oil into the skillet, and set it over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scatter the diced pancetta in the pan, and let it cook and render its fat, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, 3 or 4 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Drop in the cherry tomatoes and bay leaves, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and peperoncino, and pour in 1/2 cup water. Cover the skillet, bring the water to a simmer, then set the cover slightly ajar and cook just until the water evaporates and the tomatoes pop open and release their juices, about 10 minutes. (If the pan dries before the tomatoes pop, add another 1/4 cup water.) Turn off the heat; remove and discard the bay leaves.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, heat 4 quarts of water with 2 teaspoons salt to a rolling boil in the pasta pot. Stir in the fregola, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Empty the pot into a colander or large strainer to catch the fregola. Spill them into the skillet, and stir the pasta, tomatoes, and pancetta together until thoroughly blended.

　　

Step 4

Heat the oven to 400°, and brush the bottom and sides of the baking dish with olive oil. Pour all the sauced fregola into the dish, and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top, and set the dish in the oven. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp on the edges.

　　

Step 5

Serve piping hot. Spoon the fregola into warm bowls as an appetizer, or, to serve family-style, put the baking dish on the table.

　　Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2009 Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Lidia Mattichio Bastianich is the author of four previous books, three of them accompanied by nationally syndicated public television series. She is the owner of the New York City restaurant Felidia (among others), and she lectures on and demonstrates Italian cooking throughout the country. She lives on Long Island, New York.Tanya Bastianich Manuali, Lidia’s daughter, received her Ph.D. in Renaissance history from Oxford University. Since 1996 she has led food/wine/art tours. She lives with her husband and children on Long Island.