Spaghetti alla Nerano
Category
Dinner
Servings
2
Prep Time
24 hours
Cook Time
15 minutes
It may need a little longer to prepare than other pasta dishes but the uniqueness of this pasta is well worth it.
Spaghetti alla Nerano originates from the village of Nerano on the Sorrento peninsula in southern Italy.
It’s a simple dish, but it requires the zucchini to be fried the day before. But that makes cooking on the day a very easy task.
Zucchini, basil, parmesan and pasta. Honestly what else do you need?
Ingredients
2 zucchini, finely sliced
500 ml olive oil, or enough needed to fill a small pot half way for frying
150 g spaghetti
40 g butter
10 basil leaves
40 g parmesan, finely grated
Pinch of salt, black pepper and white pepper
Directions
Finely slice the zucchini. If you are comfortable a mandolin works best.
Bring olive oil up to 170 degrees C in a small pot. And fry the zucchini in batches until lightly browned.
Transfer zucchini to paper towel to drain and cool to room temperature.
Transfer cooled zucchini to a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until its 2 minutes away from being cooked.
As you are cooking the spaghetti, heat the butter in a skillet on very low with the zucchini and torn basil leaves. Add a small ladle of pasta water to skillet and stir gently.
Once spaghetti is al-dente transfer directly into skillet with tongs. Agitate mixture to coat spaghetti before adding in parmesan.