On June 24th the whole of Italy celebrates the feast of St. Giovanni. Except in Bari. This day is associated with a very special dish: the Vermicelli (vermecìidde) alla Sangiuannìidde.
Tomatoes, garlic, anchovies, capers, parsley, and a little chili pepper: a few simple ingredients that give a taste of the sun and summer heat, for a dish bursting in flavor.
No measurements, we're from Puglia
Vermicelli alla Sangiuannìidde is a typical dish enjoyed on the eve of the feast of St. Giovanni and is seldom found on restaurant menus, not even traditional ones. They are prepared at home when you don't want to rack your brains about what to put on the table. By contrast, to make them unforgettable there are a few things to take into account. "I leave out the measurements because it's a dish that's done by eye and personal taste. Let me explain better: the normal dose of vermicelli should be about 3 ½ oz, but often larger portions are prepared," explains journalist and food expert Sandro Romano.
The ingredients
To prepare the Vermicelli alla Sangiuannìidde, we will need 1 lb of vermicelli, 1 lb of tomatoes, three cloves of garlic, six fillets of anchovies ("although it’s better to use l’alisce du sprone, salted anchovies," stresses Romano). Finally a pinch of dry chili pepper and extra virgin olive oil. "The quantity of anchovies depends on how much we want to taste them,” Romano explains. "'The same goes for garlic which traditionally has to be minced, but if you don't like it you can put it whole and then remove it'.
The Method
Prepare the sautéed garlic and anchovies, keeping some aside. Then, add the tomatoes to create a sauce. It’s better to cut them down into pieces leaving a few whole, which we will then break with the spoon. "This will serve to insert in the sauce, which will have shrunk, some tomato pulp that, although cooked, has not lost its liquid, retained in its natural container", points out the expert. After 30 minutes of cooking, you can break the tomatoes still turgid with a wooden spoon. At this point, according to the traditional Bari recipe, the kept aside parsley and anchovies along with a little chili pepper are added. After boiling the vermicelli they are sautéed to the sauce to allow the pasta to absorb the lovely sauce. Then serve.
Variations and fake news
Like all dishes that symbolize a specific territory - Amatriciana, Carbonara and the pugliesissimo rice, potatoes and mussels – even Vermicelli alla Sangiuannìidde, variations and fake news have been created. Among the changes made to this recipe is the addition of an ingredient that looks forward to the summer and its fresh flavors, herbs: oregano. "I also like to add pickled capers and a little chili pepper".
Amongst the fake news that circles around this recipe, and the most important, is the tomatoes. "It is said that the tomato to be used to prepare this spaghetti must be the one hanging. But it doesn't make sense, because if we prepare it according to tradition, that is, in June, fresh ones are in abundance”, Romano explains. "The hanging tomato is a method of preserving the vegetable and during the period of the feast of St Giovanni there are plenty of them". This doesn’t mean that they cannot be used. Some people use the hung ones, peeled ones, or tomato sauce even if they're not supposed to. But for real Vermicelli alla Sangiuannìidde it is better to use fresh tomatoes. The important thing is that that warm, slightly acidic and sweet taste that brings a touch of summer to the palate.
Text by Stefania Leo / Picture Credit BaffettoFood