Spaghetti alla Nerano is a dish originating from the Sorrento peninsula, specifically from Nerano, made with fried zucchini and Provolone del Monaco.
It is likely the invention of a female restaurateur from the 1950s, who used one of the local excellences, Provolone del Monaco, a medium-aged caciocavallo with an intense and slightly spicy taste, creating a particular, tasty, and irresistible dish, which has become a classic of Campanian cuisine.
Read on to learn how to make Spaghetti alla Nerano with the easy recipe you can find below, as usual right after the photo 😉
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 11 oz spaghetti
- 1.5 lbs zucchini
- 7 oz Provolone del Monaco (see notes at the end of the recipe)
- 1 clove garlic
- basil
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Preparing Spaghetti alla Nerano
Wash the zucchini, trim them, and slice them very thinly with a knife or a mandoline.
Heat plenty of extra virgin olive oil in a small pot and fry a few slices of zucchini at a time until golden brown, collecting them with a slotted spoon and placing them to drain excess oil on a paper towel or kitchen paper.
Bring a pot of water to a boil for cooking the pasta.
Meanwhile, finely grate the Provolone.
Peel the garlic clove.
In a large non-stick pan or wok, heat a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and brown the garlic in it.
Add the fried zucchini, salt them, and add a ladle of the pasta cooking water.
Cook the spaghetti for two or three minutes less than the cooking time stated on the package, remove them directly from the pot with a slotted spoon, keeping aside the cooking water, and add them to the pan with the zucchini.
Finish cooking them risotto-style, adding a few ladles of cooking water as needed and stirring constantly.
When the spaghetti is cooked, turn off the heat, move the pan away, and add the grated Provolone, stirring vigorously until it melts and turns into a creamy sauce.
Serve your Spaghetti alla Nerano immediately, garnishing the plates with fresh basil leaves and pepper.
Notes
If you really can’t find Provolone del Monaco, you can try substituting it with a good aged caciocavallo, although obviously, the flavor will not be that of the original dish.
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