Fregola, a first course ...always welcome
Fregola: thick semolina usually handmade (with water and salt) made into small balls and dried in the hot oven for a few minutes. The Fregola can be combined with meat 's stock or with clams and garlic or fresh tomatoes, garlic and chopped onion.
Malloreddus: little dumplings of hard wheat semolina, usually handmade. It is one of the typical main courses of Sardinian tradition. Served with tomato sauce and cheese (Fiore Sardo, Pecorino Sardo or Pecorino Romano).
Culurgiones (o culingionis o culurzònes): the Sardinian ravioli, prepared with a dough of seed corn or flour, eggs, salt and olive oil and a filling of soft cheese or ricotta, chard or spinach, eggs, butter and saffron. All dressed in tomato sauce and grated Sardinian cheese. Very tasty is also the variation filled with potatoes, lard, fresh mint, onion and garlic chops.
Minestra con casu axedu (suer cheese soup ): meat's stock and pastina (tiny type of pasta, for example “stelline”, little stars). After the boiling, add pieces of casu axedu (suer cheese) melting in tasty strings.
Minestra di ceci e finocchi (chickpeas & fennel soup): leave chickpeas in salted water for a whole day, then peel and cook them adding pieces of fennel (preferably wild varieties), salt and chopped onion fried in olive oil. Some people add pastina ( tiny type of pasta ) and fresh tomato pulp.
Còrdula: lamb intestine, carefully washed in both internal and interior side, it is then left in water and vinegar. Once dried, it is tied with a string and it is put on a grill on the flame. It is one of the most appreciated dish of Campidano, and also in other zone of Sardinia
Pepper ostrich steak: melt some butter in a frying pan, then add the ostrich steak, previously covered in salt and pepper (also of different types). You could also flavour it with fresh cream, or with mustard and a hint of Cognac or Vernaccia. The ostriches are bred in the agricultural Azienda (farm) Trexenta, in Ortacesus.
Lumache (snails): can be considered an attraction factor of Gesico, where a very popular festival is held during the summer. Different types of snail exist, and many are the traditional Sardinian recipes that have snails as the main ingredient. These vary according to the area. Sizigorrus are small snails similar in dimension to a small nut, with a stripped shell. Before being boiled in salted water, they have to be let purge and washed carefully. Then, pour them into an other pan, with fresh tomato sauce, onions, salt, oregano, and grated bread slightly fried in oil. Tappadas (known also as Monachelle) instead, are snails smaller than Sizigorrus, generally of an hazelnut dimension, that usually live in the underground. They have to be carefully washed, boiled in salted water. After removing them from the shells with the proper metal stick, cover them in an amalgam of eggs and thin semolina, then fry in olive oil. You could flavour them with a few lemon drops.
