Spaghetti alla Nerano

Ingredients for 4 people:  

370g Gragano spaghetti, 600g small zucchini, 200g semi-aged provolone, 50g Parmigiano Reggiano, ample extra-virgin olive oil, 1 garlic clove, salt as needed and basil.

Directions: 

Cut the zucchini into discs and fry in extra-virgin olive oil. Put the zucchini on a paper towel to eliminate any excess oil. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in abundant and salted boiling water.

Put some six tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a pan with high sides and brown the garlic in it.

Add the zucchini to the pan, lower the heat and then add the spaghetti when it is very ‘al dente’ together with a ladle of the water it was cooked in.

Cook and stir the pasta at a low heat adding in the grated cheeses. When all the ingredients begins to amalgamate the pasta should become somewhat creamy at which point you add in the basil and serve hot.

*This recipe for Spaghetti alla Nerano was created in 1952 at the Maria Grazia restaurant in the port of Nerano di Marina del Cantone, set in the devastatingly beautiful Amalfi coast. The tranquility of the setting and the breathtaking views of Capri and Punta Campanella make Nerano an unforgettable place. With only a few simple ingredients and a secret touch, Maria Grazia created an extraordinary pasta dish in this corner of paradise.

Every family has its ‘secret’ ingredient to personalize the dish and my mother would add ground black pepper at the last minute. I, personally, prefer to follow the classic recipe to the letter because it ensures an excellent result. My advice is to pay special attention while cooking the pasta in the pan because the mixing stage is the most delicate to allow all the ingredients to come together and achieve proper consistency.

Wine to pair: 

Osato Valdarno di Sopra Doc Rosato La Salceta 

This Rosé, where the producer tried to enhance significantly the Cabernet Franc, has an intense rosé color with floral and fruity aromas. The taste has a prominent tanginess and freshness, with notes of raspberry, tomato leaf, and typical varietal herbaceous hints, along with a very slight tannic note.

Production area: Loro Ciuffena in Valdarno (AR), sloping land with moderately loose-packed clayey soil, south/southeast exposure at an altitude of 245 metres above sea level; 5,000 plants per hectare. Training system: Guyot.

Grape varieties: Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Merlot, with a yield of approximately 6 tons per hectare.

Wine making system: harvest by hand in the first week of September, with selection of grapes in the field. The delicately destemmed grapes go through a period of about 24 hours on the skins at very low temperatures (cryomaceration). The must obtained is then fermented without the skins in steel tanks at a controlled temperature. After fermentation, the wine is aged sur lies fines in steel vats for approximately 15 days, then 3 months in steel vats, finally bottled and marketed after 2 months of ageing in the bottle.

Alcoholic content: 12°C.

Serving temperature: 14°C.

THIS RECIPE IS OFFERED BY LA SALCETA