Pasta alla Nerano

While ripe tomatoes and sweet corn are what I most associate with summer cooking, it is bountiful zucchini that usually manages to make an appearance at every meal of the season. Living in a town full of seasoned and generous, backyard gardeners, there can never be enough zucchini recipes to have on hand. Thankfully, the dark-green summer squash is as versatile in the kitchen as it is prolific in the garden. Grilled, roasted, or sauteed, zucchini takes on different flavors with every culinary technique. Here, it is fried before being made into a creamy pasta sauce with parmesan and herbs. A recipe originally from the tiny town of Nerano along the picturesque Amalfi Coast, this dish is a perfect example of the simplicity and ease of seasonal Italian cuisine.

Ingredients:

28 ounces zucchini, approximately 4 to 5 small or 2 to 3 large

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 pound spaghetti or linguini

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

½ cup parmesan, grated (plus more for serving)

2 tablespoon butter

Pinch crushed red chili flakes (optional)

Directions:

Prepare a large pot of salted water and set it over medium heat. Slice the zucchini into thin, ¼-inch thick rounds. If the zucchini is very large, you could cut it into half-moons.

In a large skillet, heat the canola and olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is glistening, add the garlic halves and cook gently for several minutes until the garlic is lightly golden and the oil is fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Remove garlic from the oil and set aside. Raise the heat to medium-high. Working in several batches, add slices of zucchini in single layers to the hot oil. Watch out for hot splatters. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side until zucchini is lightly browned and beginning to blister. Adjust heat as you cook to keep an even cooking temperature. Do not overcrowd the pan as it will start steaming the squash and make it difficult to brown. Remove browned zucchini from the oil and drain on a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Generously season cooked zucchini with salt and pepper as it drains.

Raise heat on a pot of water to high and bring to a boil. Cook pasta al dente per package instructions. Before draining pasta, use a heat-proof measuring cup to reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain pasta.

Working quickly, add approximately a third of the browned zucchini to a blender along with the browned garlic halves, half the pasta water, and the minced oregano. Blend until smooth. Return pasta to the large pot along with the zucchini puree and set over medium heat. Add the parsley, butter, and parmesan, stirring to melt. When cheese is melted, and the sauce is creamy, add the remaining zucchini rounds. If using crushed pepper flakes, add them at this point to taste. Add more splashes of the pasta water as needed to make the sauce the right velvety texture and to have it cling to the pasta. Keep stirring vigorously until the zucchini slices are heated through, and the sauce is a perfect consistency. Taste, then adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately with more parmesan sprinkled on top.

Notes:

The browning of the zucchini is an important step in building flavor to the sauce. You want to adjust the temperature of the burner between medium to medium-high to let zucchini cook tender quickly, but also to brown evenly.

Traditionally this recipe is made with torn fresh basil added in the last step. I substituted with fresh oregano because I had it on hand and because I love the robust flavor it adds. Experiment with your favorite fresh tender herbs.

Some versions of this classic dish use an aged Provolone del Monaco or Caciocavallo cheese instead of (or in combination with) the parmesan. Since both of these Italian cheeses may be hard to find, simply using a hunk of good quality parmesan works just perfectly. I always prefer grating my own cheese.

This kind of pasta is all about timing. Have all your ingredients prepared and ready to cook before starting. As the last batch of zucchini is browning, raise the heat on the pot of water to boil. Work quickly when stirring the sauce together in the final step. The pasta cooking water is the magic ingredient in sauces like this, adding a little starchiness to help the sauce cling to noodles. Enjoy!