The ancient "Trattoria Bacco"of Furore, opened in 1927 by our grandfather Raffaele Ferraioli, prepares the "Vermicelli ( and not Spaghetti!) clam" since its inception, dating back some 90 years.
We specify that the correct term to use is "Vermicelli". It is no coincidence that in Neapolitan slang we say "Vermecielle cu' e Vongole". The term "spaghetti." is, however, Italian and was first reported in 1819 by Tommaseo's Dictionary of the Italian Language.
At our place, this dish is prepared with rare expertise Erminia Cuomo, on an ancient recipe, using a few but irreplaceable cherry tomatoes from the piennolo, capable of imparting additional scents to seafood and, most importantly, acting as a sponge and absorbing all the aromas of the seafood when they open. One can even do without clams and prepare the famous "Vermicielle cu' e vongole fujute." which tastes of the sea despite the absence of clams and is a monument of so-called poor cuisine.
In front of this dish the great Raffaele Viviani, our regular guest during his Sunday trips "out of town," in a beautiful poem dedicated to Grandfather Raphael, had to exclaim:"'Nu piatto 'e vermecielle ca par' oro!"
This is, in any case, the signature dish of Christmas Eve in the Neapolitan tradition, when the cherry tomatoes are dehydrated just right and, freed from their seeds, act as a cushion for the clams.
Ingredients
gr. 70-100 of Vermicelli di Pastifici di Gragnano, made from Tavoliere durum wheat, bronze-drawn, dried
naturally
extra virgin olive oil PDO Colline Salernitane
5-10 piennolo tomatoes crushed and freed of seeds
gr. 200 clams
Salt, parsley, chili pepper, garlic to taste.
Preparation
Fry the garlic in oil until it browns; add the cherry tomatoes and, next, the properly purged raw clams; cover and allow the seafood to open; add salt and very little chili pepper; season the vermicelli, scatter chopped parsley over the dish and serve. There is a plain version, without tomatoes, which is called "Posillipo style," but we are leaning toward the above recipe. Real clams should be added to the sauce raw (their prior "opening" should be avoided, which would cause their scents to evaporate). Clams should be of the "Ruditapes decussatus" type, which are becoming increasingly unavailable, or of the "Ruditapes Philippinarum" species, which are the most common. The pasta shapes used are: vermicelli or vermicellini. On request we can use linguine, but only as an exception. A variation of our own design is "Vermecielle Terra/Mare," with clams added with caper leaves, lemon peels and black pepper. It has often happened that some customers (foreigners especially) have asked us to add Parmesan cheese. We refused to become "accomplices" to such a desecration, and in the face of repeated insistence we were forced to take back the dish we had just served him and point out that we had the wrong restaurant, inviting him, politely, to ...sit down.
The "Land/Sea" version, is served with the addition of caper leaves, lemon peels and black pepper, a good solution that further encapsulates Furitan flavors.
