Name: Spaghetti alla Nerano (Zucchini Pasta)
Cuisine: イタリアン
Ingredients: Linguine: 70g; Zucchini: 1; Butter (unsalted or salted): 50g; Parmesan cheese: 10g; Basil: 1 sprig; Salt: to taste; Frying oil: to taste; Zucchini blossoms: to taste (optional)

About "Spaghetti alla Nerano (Zucchini Pasta)"

This is a recipe for Linguine alla Nerano, a traditional pasta from the village of Nerano in Campania, Southern Italy. The key is to slice the zucchini paper-thin and deep-fry it to remove moisture, bringing out a rich, savory flavor reminiscent of nori seaweed. Tossed in a sauce infused with basil stems and butter, then emulsified with Parmesan cheese, this dish delivers a rich, deep flavor from simple ingredients. Based on techniques learned from a three-star restaurant chef, this recipe is adapted for easy home cooking.

Video Timestamps

Tips for Making "Spaghetti alla Nerano (Zucchini Pasta)"

Prep
- Slice the zucchini paper-thin with a mandoline. Slicing it the day before and drying it at room temperature for a day reduces oil splattering and shortens frying time. If in a hurry, you can fry it fresh.
Prep
- If using zucchini blossoms, dry them at 70°C (158°F) for 2 hours to concentrate their flavor. Omit if unavailable.
Frying
- Deep-fry the zucchini in 170°C (340°F) oil until golden brown. When bubbling subsides and no white parts remain, the moisture is fully removed. Lightly salt immediately after frying.
Sauce
- Place 50g of unsalted butter and basil stems in a cold pan. Melt slowly over low heat to infuse the butter with basil aroma. This original chef's twist dramatically enhances the fragrance.
Sauce
- Once the butter melts, add a splash of pasta water, mix well, turn off the heat, and wait for the pasta to finish cooking.
Finishing
- With the heat off, add Parmesan cheese and toss the pan to incorporate air, emulsifying the sauce into a creamy texture.
Finishing
- Adding the fried zucchini to the sauce allows the crispy chips to absorb moisture and soften, releasing their concentrated sweetness and umami into the sauce.
Pasta
- Linguine is ideal for this recipe because its flat shape and firm texture allow it to absorb the sauce well without becoming mushy.

Ingredients for "Spaghetti alla Nerano (Zucchini Pasta)"

8 items

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Linguine:70g
Zucchini:1
Butter(unsalted or salted): 50g
Parmesancheese: 10g
Basil:1 sprig
Salt:to taste
Fryingoil: to taste
Zucchiniblossoms: to taste (optional)

How to Make "Spaghetti alla Nerano (Zucchini Pasta)"

1
Slice the zucchini paper-thin using a mandoline slicer. If possible, slice it the day before and let it dry at room temperature for a day to remove surface moisture.
2
If using zucchini blossoms, dehydrate them at 70°C (158°F) for 2 hours to concentrate their flavor.
3
Heat frying oil to 170°C (340°F) and deep-fry the sliced zucchini until golden brown. Once the bubbling subsides and no white parts remain, remove them from the oil and lightly season with salt while still hot.
4
Bring 2 liters of water to a boil in a pot, add 25g of salt, and cook the linguine for about 10 minutes.
5
While the pasta is cooking, place 50g of butter and the basil stems in a cold pan. Melt slowly over low heat to infuse the butter with the aroma of the basil.
6
Once the butter has melted, add a small splash of pasta cooking water, mix well, turn off the heat, and wait for the pasta to finish cooking.
7
Add the cooked linguine to the pan and toss with the butter sauce using residual heat. Adjust with a splash of pasta water if necessary.
8
Add the fried zucchini and dried zucchini blossoms to the pan, tossing them with the sauce so the zucchini absorbs the moisture and integrates into the dish.
9
With the heat off, add 10g of Parmesan cheese and toss the pan vigorously to incorporate air and emulsify the sauce.
10
Add torn fresh basil leaves and toss quickly to combine.
11
Plate the pasta, pour the remaining zucchini sauce from the pan over the top, and serve.

Detailed Commentary on "Spaghetti alla Nerano (Zucchini Pasta)"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

Three-Star Chef's Recipe from Nerano!

Today, we are introducing 'Linguine alla Nerano,' a traditional pasta from the village of Nerano in Campania, Southern Italy. This is a very special recipe that our chef learned directly from Antonio Mellino, father of Chef Fabrizio Mellino of the three-star restaurant 'Quattro Passi,' during a visit last year. The ingredients are incredibly simple: zucchini, Parmesan cheese, butter, basil, and linguine. However, because of this simplicity, it is packed with professional techniques that draw out the maximum flavor of each ingredient. Our chef calls this the most mind-blowing pasta he has ever eaten in his life. We will break down this humble yet profound Southern Italian masterpiece so you can easily recreate it at home.

Paper-Thin Zucchini: The Key to Flavor

We start with the prep for our star ingredient: zucchini. While you can cut it with a knife, the most crucial factor for the final taste is the thickness. For this recipe, we use a mandoline slicer to slice an entire zucchini paper-thin, just like slicing cucumbers. Freshly sliced zucchini releases moisture, but we are using zucchini sliced the day before and left out at room temperature to dry for a day. Removing the surface moisture beforehand is a clever restaurant technique that keeps the frying oil clean and drastically cuts down on frying time. Of course, if you are in a hurry at home, you can fry freshly sliced zucchini right away and it will still turn out delicious.

Michelin-Star Technique: Zucchini Blossoms

To add even more depth to our Nerano-style pasta, we introduce a special ingredient: zucchini blossoms. For this recipe, we use blossoms dried at 70°C (158°F) for about 2 hours. Dehydrating them creates a deep, kombu-like umami and a concentrated sweetness similar to pumpkin chips. In Italy, the most classic way to eat zucchini blossoms is stuffed with mozzarella, anchovies, or ricotta and then fried. However, dehydrating them to concentrate their flavor is an advanced technique often used in Michelin-starred and fine-dining restaurants. While adding these blossoms brings incredible depth to the sauce, you can easily omit them if they are hard to find.

Deep-Frying Zucchini to Concentrate Flavor

Next, we fry the sliced zucchini. Place the zucchini in oil heated to about 170°C (340°F) and fry thoroughly until golden brown. Since we dried the zucchini beforehand to remove moisture, there is almost no oil splattering, making it very easy to cook. After frying for a few minutes, the bubbling will gradually subside. This is proof that the moisture has been completely removed. Once there are almost no white parts left and the zucchini is evenly browned, remove it from the oil and lightly season with salt while hot. Removing the moisture to the absolute limit creates a rich aroma reminiscent of nori seaweed, resulting in an addictive, savory flavor like seaweed-salted potato chips. Thoroughly removing the moisture at this stage is crucial for integrating it into the sauce later.

Infusing Butter and Basil: The Sauce Base

Now, we move on to boiling the pasta and preparing the sauce base. Bring 2 liters of water to a boil, add 25 grams of salt, and cook the linguine for about 10 minutes. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce in an adjacent pan. Place 50 grams of unsalted butter (salted butter works too) into a cold pan and add the basil stems. Melt the butter slowly over low heat to gently infuse it with the refreshing aroma of the basil stems. Using the stems is our chef's original twist not found in traditional recipes; it dramatically enhances the overall aroma of the sauce, making it an indispensable step. Once the butter is completely melted, add a small splash of pasta water, mix well, turn off the heat, and wait for the pasta to finish cooking.

Emulsifying the Pasta and Sauce Perfectly

Add the cooked linguine to the pan and toss with the butter sauce using only residual heat. Linguine's flat shape and firm texture allow it to absorb the sauce's flavor beautifully without getting mushy, even when tossed for a bit. Add a splash of pasta water along with the fried zucchini and dried zucchini blossoms. As they absorb the moisture, the crispy zucchini slices soften into a melt-in-your-mouth texture, releasing their concentrated sweetness and umami into the sauce. Finally, with the heat off, add about 10 grams of Parmesan cheese and toss the pan vigorously to incorporate air. The richness of the cheese emulsifies the sauce into an incredibly creamy texture. Toss in some torn fresh basil at the end, and your rich, aromatic special sauce is complete.

Recreating a Nostalgic Taste: Tasting Session

Plate the pasta beautifully and pour the rich zucchini sauce remaining in the pan generously over the top. One bite, and the mind-blowing flavor from that three-star restaurant in Nerano is perfectly recreated. This pasta also holds nostalgic memories for our chef; over 10 years ago, during his training in Italy, a colleague from Sorrento made it for their staff meal. Despite using only zucchini, deep-frying it creates a savory, almost junk-food-like umami and a Japanese-style nori flavor that harmonize beautifully. It is an unforgettable, striking dish. Finally, our chef introduced the new book 'SALSA,' which features his recommendation, and closed the video by encouraging everyone to try this wonderful recipe at home to experience the breeze of Nerano.

The Zucchini Pasta That Blew Me Away: Southern Italy's Hidden Gem!