A great Italian dish, right from the Sorrento area.
Fried zucchini, mixed with a light cream of Provolone cheese, make this dish memorable
Ingredients
- 500 g of homemade ancient grain spaghetti alla chitarra (see pasta making section to make your homemade pasta)
- 800 grams of fresh zucchini
- 200 grams of Provolone, )I used Del Monaco, but other Provolone or Caciovallo, will be fine)
- A few basil leaves
- Pepper
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Wash the zucchini and tick them, then cut them into thin slices with a mandolin
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan, once the oil has reached the temperature for frying, soak the zucchini slices few at a time so as not to lower the temperature of the oil, cook for about 5-6 minutes, enough time to brown them.
- Once cooked, drain them with a skimmer and lay them on a tray lined with paper towels to dry the excess oil. As you cook the zucchini, season them with salt.
- Keep the zucchini aside, grate the Provolone del Monaco, and place a high-edged pot on the fire filled with salted water that will be used for cooking spaghetti.
- Cook the pasta which must be drained a couple minutes before it’s ready.
- In a large pan heat 30 g of extra virgin olive oil, add the poached garlic and some basil to flavor then remove them.
- Place the fried zucchini (leaving some aside for the topping) in a strainer and dip them quickly in the pot with the pasta, this way they will not dry.
- Drain the spaghetti directly into the pan with the zucchini, taking care to preserve the pasta water.
- Add chopped basil and ladle of pasta cooking water at a time, as needed, to continue cooking the spaghetti, risottando (cooking like risotto in its own juice) it will take a couple minutes.
- Turn off the flame. Pour a some of the Provolone del Monaco by mixing the spaghetti to melt it and create the cream; once it is absorbed, keep adding the remaining provolone.
- Flavor again with the chopped basil by hand and pour pasta cooking water if needed.
- Stir and serve adding some freshly grated Provolone and ground pepper on top.
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