I think that Pasta alla Nerano is the best recipe for celebrating the delicate taste of fresh zucchini. And, in late summer, when made with just-picked sweet zucchini, this might be my very favorite food. This zucchini pasta feels like old world Italian food because it highlights and transforms a single ingredient. The nutty rich zucchini flavor demands you slow down. The sauce it makes is the opposite of punchy and over-seasoned. It’s a dish that begs to be eaten under a sun umbrella, seated at a wooden table, in mismatched pasta bowls with a giant hunk of Tuscan bread, peppery olive oil, and local cheese. That said, there are definitely other times throughout the year when the grocery stores source good zucchini that offer a reasonable stand-in for this irresistible summer pasta, and a cozy bowl of pasta alla Nerano on a fall day can be equally delightful.
In this dish the twice cooked zucchini forms a silky sauce that’s resembles a nutty zucchini compound butter. It’s a snap to assemble with only a few ingredients, but it’s also a pain because it takes a while to fry alllll of the zucchini. I think people either already know about this dish and make it (often because of Stanley Tucci) or they know of it but would never make it because they cannot image spending 30-40 minutes frying zucchini. Honestly, before I first made it, I had some doubts too. So even though it’s a bit of a pain to make, I’ve included my version in this blog because I don’t like the proportions and the way that it is finished in a lot of the online recipes. Furthermore, in order to accentuate and play with the flavors of cheeses and zucchini available in the US, I’ve recently started adding mint and chives.
Notes
Note about Type of Zucchini
This pasta is best with true summer zucchini, the fresh kind that’s mild and sweet, with small seeds. You don’t want to use baby zucchini, Costata Romanesco Zucchini, or those large zucchini that are best stuffed or used in zucchini bread. Those large zucchini have large seeds that will not work with this pasta’s texture.
Note about Frying Zucchini
I have a healthy fear of frying foods. There are only a couple of things I will fry: Zucchini and Zucchini blossoms. The trick to frying zucchini is to have a digital thermometer and a thick bottomed pan. You don’t need a ton of oil, just about a knuckle’s worth. Also, despite what some people might suggest, do not fry things in olive oil.
Key Ingredients
medium/small zucchini
neutral cooking oil
olive oil
basil
good quality Parmesan
butter
garlic
spaghetti or thin spaghetti
Zucchini Pasta – Recipe
Serves 4. Special equipment: digital thermometer, heavy frying pan (I use my cast iron). Time: Day one: 45 minutes to slice and fry the zucchini. Day two: 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Day 1 ingredients
- 1.5-2lbs zucchini
- 1 quart neutral cooking oil
Day 2 ingredients
- fried zucchini
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Your favorite good quality Parmesan (the good stuff)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 12 ounces spaghetti or thin spaghetti
- ¼ cup of chopped basil leaves
- A few chopped leaves of mint (optional but recommended)
DAY ONE:
Step One
Cut the zucchini into roughly 1/6 of an inch round slices. Line a plate with towels (this is for draining the zucchini after frying) and set aside. Using a high sided cast iron pan or other heavy bottomed pan, add about 1 quart of neutral cooking oil (DO NOT use olive oil). You need about an inch of oil. Heat oil over medium high heat until it comes to 350 degrees (150 C).
Step Two
Once the oil is at 350 degrees, carefully add as much sliced zucchini to the frying pan as you can so that the pieces touch but don’t overlap. This will probably be about half of a zucchini. Cook zucchini, monitoring the cooking temperature so that it stays just below 350 for 3-4 minutes until the underside of the zucchini turns a golden color with a little bit of brown. Using heat safe tongs, flip each piece of zucchini and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the other side. Once both sides are golden, remove zucchini from the pan, allowing excess oil to run back into the pan, and place fried zucchini on the lined plate to cool and dry.
Step Three
Check the temperature of the oil, it should be close to 350 degrees before adding the next round of zucchini. Repeat until all of the zucchini is fried. Transfer it to covered container and store in the fridge until ready to use (ideally about 24 hours).
DAY TWO
Step Four
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to instructions until just al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water before draining pasta, set pasta water and pasta aside. Grate about ½-1 cup of Parmesan cheese and set aside. Mince garlic, and shred the basil and other herbs (if using).
Step Five
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium low heat and add pinch of red pepper flakes and the garlic. Cook the gently for about 1 minute until garlic softens but do not let it color. Add the zucchini turn up heat to medium, and cook for 1-2 minutes using a spoon to start to break up the zucchini. Then add about 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water and continue cooking and stirring until zucchini becomes more like a paste with ribbons of peel running through it (about 5 minutes)
Step Six
Turn heat down to low and add the butter to the zucchini sauce. Allow butter to melt completely, then add the pasta. Then drizzle over it about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and stir into the sauce, then add the shredded Parmesan cheese and the basil. Stir until well coated.
Serve immediately with an extra sprinkle of mint, basil or chive, and an extra sprinkle of grated cheese.