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Spaghetti alla Nerano

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • Knife
  • Ladle
  • Pot
  • Fry pan
  • Slicer

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 whole onion
  • 4 whole Zucchini
  • 4 basil leaves
  • salt as needed
  • pepper as needed
  • 150 grams Provolone del Monaco substitute Parmiggiano Reggiano if needed
  • 350 grams spaghetti

Instructions
 

Preparation:

  • Peel a whole onion and dice it into small minced pieces.
  • Slice the zucchini into thin, circular pieces to reduce the cooking time.
  • Grate the Provolone del Monaco in a blender until it is almost like a powder.

Cooking:

  • In a fry pan, heat up the olive oil on medium-high heat.
  • When the oil is hot enough, add the diced onions and cook them until they start to caramelize.
  • Once caramelized, add the sliced zucchini and basil and cook for approximately 10 minutes until the zucchini turn golden brown. Add salt and pepper to your liking.
  • After the zucchini finish cooking, place the pan to the side off the heat for the next steps
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • Once the water is boiling, add the spaghetti and a generous dose of salt to the water.
  • Cook the spaghetti for exactly 2 minutes less than the suggested cooking time on the label. For example, if the box suggests an 11 minute cooking time (common for most spaghetti), cook the spaghetti for 9 minutes. This step is extremely important in bringing the whole dish together.
  • In the last few minutes while the pasta is cooking, begin to heat the pan with the zucchini.
  • When the pasta is done cooking, use a ladle to scoop the water from the pasta and put two scoops of the past water into the fry pan with the zucchini.
  • Add the spaghetti to the fry pan. Cook the spaghetti for 2 minutes and add water as needed. You will see the water slowly amalgamate and create a delicious cream as the spaghetti releases it's starches.
  • Add the Provolone del Monaco slowly into the spaghetti and keep stirring until the cheese has melted.
  • Once the spaghetti reaches a creamy consistency, it is now ready to be plated.
  • Take a ladle and a pair of tongs and grab the spaghetti and place it into the ladle. Slowly spin the tongs while maintaining a grip on the spaghetti. This will spin the spaghetti in a tight circle at which point carefully transfer it to the plate.
  • Drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and pepper to finish the dish. Buon Appetit!
Keyword Italian, Nerano, Onions, Spaghetti, Zucchini