Sunday, April 11, 2021

Spaghetti alla Nerano

 By: The Food Hunter

This is a simple dish made with just three main ingredients: pasta, zucchini and Provolone cheese. What makes it delicious is the quality of ingredients and the secret cooking technique of frying the zucchini.

With such a few ingredients quality is key. Italians will often use home-grown zucchini also known as Cucuzza. Although, not easy to find in stores outside of Italy, many Italian Americans grow their own on vines in the backyard.

As the name suggests, spaghetti is the best choice of pasta for this recipe. The thick creamy cheese sauce coats the long strands nicely, but if you don’t have on hand you could use another long-strand noodle like fettuccine or bucatini.


  

Spaghetti alla Nerano

  • 6 medium-sized zucchini, sliced to about ¼′′ thick
  • ½ cup of Provolone cheese, finely grated
  • 1 lb of pasta
  • 2 Tbsp of Butter
  • 2 clove garlic
  • Basil
    1. Fry zucchini pieces in plenty of hot oil, a few slices at a time. They're done as soon as they turn a golden. Drain on a paper towel as they are ready. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and torn basil leaves.

    2. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water and strain once al dente, setting aside two cups of pasta water.

    3. Sauté the garlic clove in a pan with a bit of oil and the butter. Remove the garlic and add the zucchini, pasta, 1 cup of the cooking water, and half the provolone.

    4. Finish cooking the pasta over med heat, adding the remaining provolone.

    5. Mix until it forms a creamy sauce.

    6. Serve immediately with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper


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