Spaghetti alla nerano (fried courgette pasta)

Name: Spaghetti alla nerano (fried courgette pasta)
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Ingredients: 500ml sunflower or vegetable oil to fry; 6 medium courgettes, sliced; 300g spaghetti; 1 tbsp olive oil; 20g unsalted butter; 100g provolone cheese or pecorino, finely grated

Portion size: 4
Difficulty: easy

Vegetarian

Emily Gussin

Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

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Have you tried spaghetti alla nerano before? This fried courgette pasta dish gets its name from a small village near Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast, where it was (most likely) invented by a restaurant owner in the 1950s. Deep-frying the courgettes renders them fudgy and sweet which need little more than a little cheese to enrich them. Simplicity at its finest.

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Ingredients

500ml sunflower or vegetable oil to fry
6 medium courgettes, sliced
300g spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
20g unsalted butter
100g provolone cheese or pecorino, finely grated

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Method

Heat the oil in a large, high-sided pan. Once it’s hot enough for a slice of courgette to sizzle straight away, cook the courgettes in batches. Each batch will take about 4 minutes to turn golden and squidgy. Use a slotted spoon to lift out onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Leave to cool completely.
When you’re ready to finish the dish, bring a large pan of heavily salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the pack instructions, or until al dente to your liking. Drain, reserving a mugful of the pasta water.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Stir in the courgettes and cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly, to warm through. When the pasta is nearly ready, stir the butter through the courgettes. Add a good glug of the pasta cooking water and stir to combine.
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Stir the drained pasta and most of the cheese through the sauce until it’s all coated. Season well with salt and pepper and serve topped with the remaining cheese.