Spaghetti alla Nerano with Provolone Del Monaco
This dish was made at the restaurant Maria Grazia in the small Bay of Nerano in Marina del Cantone, a small seaside village in the municipality of Massa Lubrense overlooking the Gulf of Salerno, at the beginning of the Amalfi Coast.
It seems that in the kitchen of this restaurant they tried to add to a dish as poor as pasta with zucchini the provolone del monaco, a cheese with spun dough that acquires spiciness according to seasoning.
This dairy product, typical of Agerola, a town in the Lattari mountains, has been produced since 1700, when some shepherds who lived on the Vomero, moved because of the urban expansion. Some families settled in the area and began to exploit the local pastures producing mainly provola.
Why of the Monaco? The market for the sale of these shepherds was mainly Naples and, when they went to the city covered by heavy cloaks, they began to be nicknamed "monks". Hence the name of their cheese: Provolone del Monaco.
Ingredients
360 g of spaghetti
800 g of zucchini
120 g of grated Monaco provolone
1 clove of garlic
basil
extra virgin olive oil
1 nut of butter (optional)
salt
pepper
Proceeding
Cut the zucchini into thin slices and fry a few at a time in abundant extra virgin olive oil until golden brown turning often.
In the last frying pan of the zucchini add a clove of garlic and 2 basil leaves in order to release the aroma in the oil.
Remove garlic and fried basil and let the fried zucchini dry on absorbent paper, add some fresh basil leaves chopped and salt.
Meanwhile cook the pasta in plenty of salted water.
Add a ladle of boiling water of the pasta cooking on the zucchini and simmer a few seconds. Lower the heat, add the pasta very al dente, complete the pan cooking along with the zucchini turning often and adding a little water.
Turn off the heat and out of the fire add a knob of butter, and gradually the provolone of the monk grated with a little cooking water and plenty of basil chopped by hand, turn quickly until the cheese melts to form a beautiful creamy sauce;
A sprinkling of black pepper and serve immediately on the table your spaghetti Nerano.