Spaghetti alla Nerano has quickly become a classic of Neapolitan cuisine worldwide famous, thanks also to the contribution of Stanley Tucci's show "Searching for Italy". The secret of this dish is the light cream formed by melted cheese that enhances fried zucchini's flavor. A recipe not only tasty but rich in history too!
INGREDIENTS:
- 14 oz ( 400 g) Spaghetti
- 5 medium zucchini
- 1 cup (80 g) Provolone, fresh grated
- 1 cup (80 g) Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh grated
- 1 QT (1000 ml) light Olive Oil
- 5 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter
- 15 Basil leaves
- 2 tsp black pepper
- to taste table salt
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ORIGIN OF SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO
The Spaghetti alla Nerano recipe has recently become famous thanks to the culinary program "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy". At the end of episode 1, "Naples and the Amalfi Coast", chef Tommaso de Simone teaches Stanley and his wife Felicity how to prepare the famous pasta with zucchini.
The Spaghetti alla Nerano is a relatively recent Italian recipe but rapidly became a must-to-try of the traditional Neapolitan cuisine.
The most accredited theory dates the origin of Spaghetti alla Nerano in the '50s of the 20th Century. This recipe is strictly connected to one of the most complex and beloved characters of the Naples area: Francesco Caravita, Prince of Sirignano, internationally known as Pupetto.
FRANCESCO CARAVITA: A PRINCE OF DOLCE VITA
Francesco Caravita had engraved on his tomb: "Non fece mai niente di importante, ma non fece mai nulla di male. Si divertì". ("He never made anything significant, but he had never hurt anyone. He had fun").
And The Prince of Sirignano really had fun in his life: during the 90 years of his life, he traveled to many countries, loved several women, and frequent the most influential persons of his generation.
One night, sailing with his yacht between Capri and Positano, Francesco Caravita got peckish. As any respectable prince, he docked his boat at the little pier of the Restaurant Maria Grazia in the bay of Nerano, asking the owner to open the kitchen.
The tale says that the kitchen pantry was almost empty at that hour in the middle of the night. There were just the ingredients to make a poor recipe: spaghetti with zucchini. Looking better, the cook found some cheese.
It is not clear if the idea was for the Prince or the cook. The fact is that someone had the idea to create a tasty cream, adding a mix of cheese along with some spoons of the cooking water to the tossing pasta. The spaghetti alla Nerano had just been born!
A FORERUNNER RECIPE: PESCIARELLI WITH ZUCCHINI
Besides the legend, the recipe that inspired the Spaghetti alla Nerano is probably the "Pesciatelli con gli Zucchini". This recipe probably can be dated to the 19th Century and is typical in Naples. We have a written version by Carola Jeanne Francesconi in his book La Cucina Napoletana, already mentioned in my post about another classic of Neapolitan cuisine: the stuffed Braciole stew
The Pesciarelli is a kind of thin Bucatini, nowadays very hard to find even in Italy, and often substituted with spaghetti.
The ingredients are very similar to Spaghetti alla Nerano: the zucchini are deeply fried and stored overnight along with one spoon of fried olive oil, basil leaves, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano. Finally, spaghetti are cooked and tossed with seasoned zucchini and butter.
The main difference with the Nerano recipe seems to be creating the cream with the pasta amid and cheese, adding the cooking water slowly tossing the pasta with a spoon.
PROVOLONE DEL MONACO
The Provolone del Monaco has been produced in the Lattari mountains since the 18th Century in the town of Agerola.
The singular name of this cheese (that can be translated as "Monk's Provolone") has nothing to do with any Monks!
The Shepherds of Agerola used to sell the Provolone to the Neapolitan markets, wearing heavy brown cloaks, very similar to tunics. For this, the Naples citizens called them "the Monks" and their cheese "the Monk's Provolone".
Even if the first version of Spaghetti alla Nerano didn't require the Provolone del Monaco, starting from the '80s, this cheese has become the most used to prepare the actual recipe.
By now, for the majority of the chefs, the Provolone del Monaco is a critical ingredient of Spaghetti alla Nerano. Otherwise, some still prefer to use a different mix of more sweet cheese.
The taste of this pretty unique Provolone is medium sweet, and buttery. The sharpness depends on the aging of the cheese, from 6 to 24 months.
Unfortunately, the production is pretty limited and very difficult to find abroad. So, this cheese can be decently substituted with medium sharp Provolone mixed with Parmigiano Reggiano.
ORIGINAL RECIPE AND MAIN VARIATIONS
The original recipe of Spaghetti alla Nerano is relatively recent, and the current version is pretty similar to the first version created in the Maria Grazia restaurant.
As I said, the main variation is the introduction of Provolone del Monaco.
Another ingredient used by many, like the two stars Michelin chef Alfonso Caputo and chef Tommaso de Simone is butter. This is a source of controversy. Some purists can't accept the butter in the recipe: they prefer to create the cream just with the amid of the pasta and the melted cheese.
It has to be said that in the forerunner Neapolitan Pesciarelli with zucchini, butter is a critical ingredient.
Another variation is to mix half of the amount of the fried zucchini with a food processor, but the result is a heavy cream totally different compared with the original recipe.
Finally, some toss the pasta with raw eggs, similarly to the Carbonara recipe. Honestly, if made in the right way, the result is good, but this is another dish far from the Spaghetti alla Nerano recipe. I made similar recipe here.
SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS
Here are some tips to prepare your Spaghetti alla Nerano to perfection.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PASTA – Even if it is possible to prepare this recipe with a different kind of pasta, spaghetti is the traditional shape and ideal for obtaining the right creaminess during the tossing phase.
WHAT FRYING OIL? - the two most popular choices for frying oil are Sunflowers and Olive oil, and I prefer to use light olive oil.
CHOOSING AND FRYING ZUCCHINI – as it is easy to guess, choosing and frying the zucchini correctly is an essential step for this recipe!
The best size for zucchini is medium, reduced in rounds as thick as a coin.
Once fried and cooled on paper towels, the best way to reach the proper consistency and flavor is to store them in the fridge overnight.
CHEESE BLEND - as we have seen, the Provolone del Monaco is the most popular choice in the Naples area. Unfortunately, this cheese is very difficult to find outside Italy. For this, abroad I use a blend of medium sharp Provolone and Parmigiano Reggiano.
SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO Recipe & History - all you need to know!
Spaghetti alla Nerano has quickly become a classic of Neapolitan cuisine worldwide famous, thanks also to the contribution of Stanley Tucci's show "Searching for Italy". The secret of this dish is the light cream formed by melted cheese that enhances fried zucchini's flavor. A recipe not only tasty but rich in history too!
Ingredients
- 14 oz ( 400 g) Spaghetti
- 5 medium zucchini
- 1 cup (80 g) Provolone, fresh grated
- 1 cup (80 g) Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh grated
- 1 QT (1000 ml) light Olive Oil
- 5 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter
- 15 Basil leaves
- 2 tsp black pepper
- to taste table salt
Instructions
FRYING ZUCCHINI
- First, slice the zucchini into rounds as thin as a coin.
- Then, pour the oil into a 3 Qt pot; consider that the oil level will rise while frying the zucchini.
- Check the oil temperature with a thermometer: you want to reach the 340° F (about 170° C) and not exceed the 355 ° F (180° C).
- Now, fry the zucchini rounds a few at a time. Do not overlap them: otherwise, the oil temperature will drop too much.
- Once the zucchini color becomes golden with nice bubbles, raise them with a slotted spoon and rest them over kitchen papers.
- Repeat the last steps to fry all the zucchini: Remember to let the oil reach 340° F every time.
- Finally, let the zucchini cool down and store them in a covered box in the fridge for at least 4 hours up to 2 days.
SPAGHETTI ZUCCHINI AND CHEESE AND CHEESE
- Now fill a 5 QT pot with water, add 4.5 tbsp of table salt, and bring it to a boil.
- Meanwhile, grate the cheese: after many tests, I think the best cheese mix, which is easy to find almost everywhere, is a blend of Provolone and Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated with the smaller raindrop-shaped holes.
- Then, hand break half of the basil leaves, saving the other for the decoration.
- Now put the zucchini rounds into a pan big enough to toss the spaghetti. Add the butter and the basil leaves. Salt to taste.
- Once the water is boiling, cook the pasta following the direction on the package.
- After 4 minutes, add a ladle of the cooking water to the zucchini and butter. Set most little flame at a minimum under the pan.
- Finally, raise the pasta about three minutes before it's cooked to perfection, saving the cooking water, and add the spaghetti into the pan.
TOSSING AND SERVING
- Keep cooking spaghetti in the pan over the smallest heat set at a minimum to create the cream with the starch released from the pasta.
- Keep cooking and tossing until the pasta is perfectly cooked and combined with zucchini, butter, and basil. While cooking, add more water, a little at a time, when necessary.
- Finally, place the pan far from the heat, and pour the cheese blend a few spoons at a time, adding more cooking water when necessary.
- Keep tossing until obtaining creamy spaghetti alla Nerano!
- Just a final note: you want your spaghetti cream silk and smooth, not watery or excessively heavy. To obtain it, you want to work with care with the cooking water adding it a little at a time and only if necessary.
SERVING SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO
- Once ready, portion and serve the spaghetti as soon as possible, decorating every plate with some fresh basil leaves, a sprinkle of cheese, and a dash of black pepper!
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 204Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 39mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 3gSugar 4gProtein 4g
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