Your email address is required to begin the subscription process. We will use it for customer service and other communications from Milk Street. You can unsubscribe from receiving our emails at any time.
Sardinian Herb Soup with Fregola and White Beans (S’erbuzzu)
Traditionally, the Sardinian soup called s’erbuzzu is jammed with wild herbs and greens—sometimes more than 17 varieties. And with both fregola (a pea-shaped Sardinian pasta) and white beans in the mix, the soup—which we learned from Chef Luigi Crisponi at Santa Rughe restaurant in Gavoi—is as hearty and starchy as it is herbal. For our version, we narrowed the list of herbs and greens to those we felt had the most impact: parsley for grassiness, tarragon for sweet anise notes and arugula for pepperiness. We also used pancetta to build a savory backbone and ricotta salata cheese, as Sardinians do, for complexity. If you can’t find fregola, substitute an equal amount of pearl couscous, but cook it for only 5 minutes before adding the beans, parsley and garlic. And if ricotta salata is not available, finely grated pecorino Romano is a reasonable swap, but halve the amount.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t forget to reserve the minced parsley stems separately from the chopped leaves. The stems go into the pot early on so they soften and infuse the broth with their herbal, minerally flavor; the leaves are added near the end so they retain their freshness and color.
45 minutes
Ingredients
-
2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
-
3-4
ounces pancetta, chopped
Directions
-
01In a large pot over medium, heat the oil and pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the parsley stems and fennel seeds, then add the wine and 1 teaspoon pepper, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer over medium-high and cook, stirring, until most of the moisture has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pardon the interruption
You need to be a Milk Street Digital Member to see the full recipe
JOIN MILK STREET DIGITAL & PRINT
12 WEEKS FOR JUST $1
and get access to all of our recipes and articles online, as well as in print.
GET DIGITAL & PRINTReviews
September 12, 2022
Amazing!
Absolutely love this soup. One of my new favorites!
I made this last night. Followed directions exactly. Luckily our market had pancetta, ricotta salata, and I ordered 3 bags of fregola (so I can make more). Our house smelled amazing. This soup is so good I give it 5+ stars. This will be made over and over again. Thank you Milk Street for another amazing recipe!
I don't see the notes that I am directed to see. Can you help me find them i.e.3/4 cup fegola(see note?
A wonderful soup. I lightly crushed the fennel seeds, sauteed in bacon grease but didn't add bacon, used Greek mizithra for ricotta salata, and used basil instead of tarragon because that's what I had. I also didn't have enough chicken stock, so half the liquid was cooking liquid from the white beans I made (instead of canned). I've never really thought of arugula as an "herb" before, and it's delicious here.
I agree with all of the above, this is a delicious soup. I have to substitute cured pork belly for pancetta and pecorino for salata, those two items are not available where I live unfortunately.
Just so delighted with this soup, that I am going to make the fregola and shrimp soup next from the Sept 2019 edition.
This recipe did not initially grab me until I read the reviews and decided to give it a try. So glad I did! Like all Milk Street recipes, I'm amazed at how a fairly simple list of ingredients comes together to create something so delicious. Like others, I subbed Pecorino for the Ricotta Salata (couldn't find it) but otherwise followed exactly. The Pecorino works great with it if that's all you can find.
It sounds sooooo good, except i'm a vegetarian. Is there a substitute for the pancetta? Maybe even just caramelize some chopped onion? or just forget about it and begin with the parsley stems and fennel seeds?
Hi Paula - Another reader above omitted the pancetta and still loved the soup so that is definitely an option. If you eat fish, you could sauté a few anchovies in the oil until they break down and then add the parsley stems and fennel seeds. Adding a few reconstituted dried mushrooms would be nice too. I wouldn't add too many and I'd chop them pretty fine. You wouldn't want the mushrooms to take over the dish. They are meant to be more of a background flavor and add some "umami" as the pancetta would. Hope that helps!
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Become A Subscriber To Rate and Review All Our Recipes.
Please Log in or join today for $1.
I got a subscription because I wanted this recipe (I'm a NYT Cooking loyalist but love CK and Milk Street). I must say it was totally worth it. Made it today and it's fantastic. I ate three bowls for lunch! Subbed bacon for pancetta and pecorino for ricotta salata, but other than that followed the recipe exactly. Five stars.