Summer Salad with Fregola Sarda & Basil Butter

By Ana Ortiz

This is one of my all time favorite summer recipes. Fregola is a toasted wheat pasta from Sardinia that is great hot or room temp, making this dish perfect picnic food. Also, the basil butter is great on everything!

Serves 4. 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup dried Fregola Sarda pasta

3 ears of Corn

1 pint Sungold Tomatoes (or any other kind of tiny tomato you can find)

FOR THE BASIL BUTTER

3 cups of packed Basil leaves (or about 6 large handfuls) 

4 sticks of Salted Butter

METHOD

Cook the fregola in salted water until al dente. While the pasta is cooking slice your tomatoes in half and lightly salt them with Kosher salt. Shuck the corn. Reserve 1/3 cup of cooking liquid. Add basil leaves & butter to a food processor and process until the basil is fully incorporated into the butter. When the fregola is ready drain it, set aside, and return the pot to the stove. Add 3 heaping spoonfuls of basil butter to the pot and the cooking liquid. Stir and add the corn. Once the butter has melted add the fregola. Stir over medium low heat for a minute. Taste it and add more butter and salt if needed. Add the tomatoes. Gently stir to combine.