A Trabucco Experience

For this month’s story we return to Vieste, Italy and our adventures in my grandparent’s town on the Adriatic Sea. From the time I was a young girl I dreamed about going to Italy to visit my grandparent’s town, to see the place they left and to imagine their life before coming to America. This past May, my dream became a reality. The reality far surpassed the dream as I found my Bevilacqua relatives, learn to make traditional macaroni, walked in the Adriatic, shopped in the quaint stores and made friends.

Since our trip was designed to hopefully find relatives, experience the places, food, and customs of our grandparents; it was not a “packaged tour”. After checking the obvious agencies and asking around, I decided to do a Google search. The more I remember about the little details of our trip, the more convinced I am that there was some “divine intervention” in the planning. We found the perfect travel agent to plan our trip! Matt Balsamo, from the Donovan Travel Agency was a joy to work with; from finding wonderful hotels, charming chauffeurs, intimate cooking lessons. We met wonderful people, who opened their hearts and kitchens to us to share regional recipes.

Since we were traveling from Naples to Vieste, we rented a car and drove the 173 miles to reach Vieste. If you look at a map of Italy, there is a spur that sticks out into the Adriatic, that’s Vieste. Here is the description of the Gargano area that we drove through to get to Vieste. “Gargano is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of the Gargano Promontory projecting into the Adriatic Sea, the “spur” on the Italian “boot”. Wikipedia”  It was a winding, twisting narrow road through this scenic, but harrowing ride to the town.

The Gargano National Park also include the scenic coastline and the Trabucchi of Gargano the Coast Giants. Here is a description from La Rinascita del Trabucci Storici, which means the rebirth of the historical Trabucchi. “Coming down from the Adriatic, strange fishing machines, all composed of planks and beams, similar to giant spiders catch the eye of the traveler. Built in ancient times, with complex techniques but from simple folk. Trabucco of Gargano arose from the need to fish keeping both feet firmly planted on the ground, especially during unpredictable and violent storms.  One of our planned side trips was a visit to the Trabucco. Our guide for this amazing experience was Matteo Silvestri, a volunteer with this organization that supports the “trabuccolanti” are the last fishermen still able to build and fish on a traditional Trabucco. The fees from the tours and the activities that are planned on the Trabucco help to support, rebuild, and keep the tradition alive.

It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining, the Adriatic so blue and crystal clear as we hiked to the Trabucco. Matteo led our group who included Sabrina & Nicola Pupillo, and Francesca Partisan, Sabrina is an Olive Oil expert and Francesca is involved with hospitality and tourism. There we met Giuseppe Langianese and Natale Masella the trabuccolanti, the fishermen. They are amazing! Here they are in their 70’ s walking out on a beam to look over the water watching for the fish to enter the net. Once the fish were spotted, we got to work on the deck walking around the wheel to raise the net. In the net that day were sardines.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

It was wonderful to meet these young men and women so passionate about preserving and sharing their heritage. It was a privilege to experience a slice of history. Since my story is about the sea, I’m going to share a recipe for Orecchiette pasta with baby octopus. I decided to try my hand at this recipe when I discovered I could purchase Mediterranean baby octopus from Daily Catch Seafood in Smithfield. After getting some advice on cooking the octopus, I embarked on developing my version of this regional dish.

Polipetti with Orecchiette – Baby Octopus with Orecchiette Pasta

2 – 2 1/2 pounds Mediterranean baby octopus

1-pound Orecchiette pasta

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced

1 – 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes

1 cup cherry tomatoes

Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, to taste

Tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley and or basil.

The octopus came frozen in 2 – 2 ½ block as it is caught fresh in the Mediterranean and flash frozen. When cooked the octopus shrinks and makes just enough for this recipe. Even though there are baby octopuses they need to be tenderized. Rinse the octopus in cold water and then placed in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover them. Place the covered pot on medium high heat, when it whistles, lower heat to low, cook for about 1 hour. Check directions for an Instant Pot.  You can also cook the octopus in a big pot of water and cook them over low heat for at least an hour. When done, drain the water and gently wash them under warm water. The dark violet colored thin skin can be washed offed if desired. Let cool, then cut them into smaller pieces.

Heat the olive oil, add the onions, sauté for a few minutes, add garlic continue to sauté until garlic is golden. Blend fire roasted and cherry tomatoes until just a little chunky. Add to the saucepan, with parsley and basil, salt and pepper. Add the octopus, stir to coat with the sauce and simmer for about 30 minutes until sauce thickens.

Meanwhile cook the macaroni in salted water, cook according to directions for al dente, drain and add to the sauce. This recipe works well with spaghetti, bucatini, or pasta of your choice.