The canisters are nothing more than the common ones sea snails, but known by their popular name. In the coastal town of San Benedetto del Tronto, bomboletti are a typical dish of the area. As well as of the Marche coast, called "cuccioletti". Specifically, the recipe for their preparation was originally handed down from fisherman in fisherman. And today it is present in almost all cookbooks. Certainly worth highlighting is the fundamental ingredient, namely the wild fennel, which in San Benedetto is called "bastardo," can be found during a walk in our countryside. In fact, with its distinctive aroma and flavor, it can be used as a flavoring.
Fishing for bomboletti
The bombs are fished in large quantities with trawl nets on board of paranze. But above all with cone-shaped baskets or trapsMade of metal and nets containing bait to attract them, the shellfish are caught and marketed according to regulations that guarantee their quality and integrity, right up until they reach the consumer. The shellfish are caught from October to May, when they approach the coast.
The ban on the sale of spray cans
About a year ago the sale of gas cylinders on the quayside of the small fishing village of San Benedetto was banned due to a readers which penalized the small-scale fishing sector. This is because they are equated with mussels and clams and needed to be examined before being sold.
The preparation
Ingredients:
1 kg of canisters
3-4 cloves of red garlic
1 bunch of wild fennel (in San Benedetto del Tronto it is called “bastardo”)
some lemon or orange peel
700 gr of tomato sauce
a glass of dry white wine
a spoonful of chopped parsley
salt to taste and extra virgin olive oil
The first essential thing to do is remove the caps to the canisters. Above all, it is necessary to wash the canisters well and then leave them to rest in a bowl with cold, salty water for about an hour. Place a pot of water on the stove and, as soon as it boils, drop in the canisters. Boil them for 15 minutes. Then drain them and rinse them with fresh water until all the caps have come off. They are now ready to be prepared.
cooking
Sauté the garlic in a good amount of extra virgin olive oil, add the bomboletti, and pour in the dry wine. Let the wine evaporate, then add the tomato sauce, fennel, and orange (or lemon) zest. They'll be ready after about half an hour of cooking, on low heatBefore serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley and chili pepper, if desired. Prepare plenty of slices of bread; they're tastier if toasted, because mopping up the bread is a must!
But there are many and varied recipes for bomboletti. With garlic and parsley or simply boiled and with oil and lemon. They are also used for flavor Seafood sauces. These little delicacies from our sea have a truly incomparable flavor.
Thanks for the cover image: The image di the napkin on the left it is under license CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
