Quanto amo gli spaghetti di zucchine, e che piacere è prepararli. Li preparo tantissime volte, sia come contorno che come primo piatto - al posto della pasta! -, e sono sempre un successo.
Origini e Tradizioni
What do Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder, and spaghetti alla Nerano have in common? Apparently nothing, but the world’s richest man chose this traditional Campanian dish for his wedding banquet. Faced with such a peculiar choice, many wondered what made this dish so special, and the answer lies in a small village on the Amalfi Coast. The story has ancient origins.
Ristorante Maria Grazia was founded in 1901 by Maria Grazia herself, Donna Rosa’s mother, to feed the fishermen and wealthy travelers who were already frequenting the coast at that time. It’s been an Amalfi Coast institution for generations. But one of the joys of Lo Scoglio is that there’s no special VIP treatment, no guest hierarchy.
Today it’s Pappone and Antonietta’s grandchildren, Tommaso, Antonia and Margherita, who run a restaurant that has expanded from its glorified-fishing-shack origins to become a large covered terrace anchored to the beach below on poles, with a jetty extension jutting over the waves that serves both as al fresco dining space and mooring station for the small motorboat which skipper Peppe uses to ferry guests to and from their yachts.
One thing many visitors to the Amalfi Coast underestimate is the extent to which the area’s culinary traditions rely on the land, rather than the sea. Fishing was an activity for the few, and one that could not be relied on when the weather was bad. But just about every family had a smallholding, even if it was just a terraced plot a few metres square, where vegetables and herbs grew beneath the lemon and olive trees.
Leggi anche: Ricetta Facile: Spaghetti di Zucchine
Lo Scoglio reflects this tradition: the seafood, based on whatever the boat brought in, is spectacularly good and fresh (don’t miss the ricci, or sea urchins, which taste like distilled sea air). “My grandfather and grandmother were simple contadini (small farmers)”, says 27-year-old Tommaso, who presides over the kitchen. “They opened this place so people could enjoy the things they grew, and the things they fished. Each morning, it’s the produce that my father brings down from our farms or the fishermen’s catch that dictates the menu. Most of what you eat here is home-grown or locally-fished.
Ricetta Tradizionale degli Spaghetti con le Zucchine alla Nerano
Tommaso is happy to give the Sirenuse Journal the recipe for Lo Scoglio’s most celebrated dish, Spaghetti con le zucchine alla Nerano (‘Nerano-style spaghetti with courgettes’) and even to let us watch and take photos and notes while he prepares it in front of us. So forget all the legends that surround the dish, the talk about secret ingredients and closely-guarded family secrets.
Ingredienti
- 400 g di linguine
- 10/12 zucchine medie
- 60 g di burro
- 200 g di parmigiano grattugiato
- Olio per friggere
- Basilico q.b.
- Sale e pepe
Preparazione
- Wash and cut the courgettes into thin slices and fry them in hot oil, they must brown and crunch slightly, and then let them dry on absorbent paper.
- At the same time, bring the salted water to a boil and then throw the spaghetti.
- In a non-stick pan put the washed basil leaves and the butter, keep the heat very low then add a ladle of pasta cooking water, melting the butter will form a yellowish cream.
- At this point add the courgettes and keep some for garnish at the end, then with a wooden spoon mix to flavor everything.
- Drain the spaghetti al dente directly into the pan and add a little cooking water, always mixing the ingredients over low heat. The pasta will begin to release the starch that will form the cream.
- Combine the parmesan and cooking water gradually and very slowly, then mix, the important thing in this phase is not to tear the cheese so the heat must be very low.
- Once you have reached the right creaminess, plate the spaghetti and garnish with some courgettes that you had set aside, lightly add pepper and serve.
Yes, that’s right, a kilo of courgettes for four people - Tommaso estimates that you need around six of them per person. First, put the water for the pasta on to boil in a large pot: remember, use lots of water - a litre per 100g of pasta is a good rule. Next, cut the courgettes in rounds, finely - they should be no more than 2mm thick. Pour olive oil (and for this recipe it must be olive oil, not sunflower or other seed or nut oils) into a wide copper pan until it comes 2cm up the sides, and heat it on a medium to high heat - what Tommaso calls ‘un fuoco vivace’.
Don’t have the flame or hob so high that the oil starts smoking, but do make sure it’s nice and hot before you put the courgettes in (otherwise they will go soggy - you want them to fry in the oil, not to absorb it). Stir with a slotted spoon for a few minutes, and transfer them onto absorbent kitchen paper to drain as soon as they are golden brown. At this point put the spaghetti into the boiling pasta water and prepare another pan nearby. After around two minutes, take four ladle-fuls of the cooking water and add them to the pan, which should be set on a medium heat.
Put the courgettes in this, stirring carefully with a wooden spoon (you don’t want the courgettes to reduce to a mush). Add the basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to amalgamate the sauce and the pasta, and cook for no more than two minutes before turning off the heat. After a couple of minutes or so, turn on the heat again and stir for another minute or so. Drain the spaghetti when it is still fairly al dente (depending on the brand you use, this will probably be between 6 and 9 minutes), keeping aside one more ladle-ful of cooking water to be on the safe side, and add the drained spaghetti to the pan in which the courgettes are cooking.
Leggi anche: Ricette creative con la macchina per spaghetti di zucchine.
Turn the heat up up high and stir to coat the pasta in the zucchine sauce, adding some of the oil you kept aside at the same time. If it looks too dry, add some more acqua di cottura (cooking water). Right at the end, add the grated parmesan. Serve up the spaghetti with a fork, twisted into a loose pyramid on each plate.
Wash and dry the zucchini and cut into slices of about 3mm thick. Preheat the oil in a frying pan and fry the zucchini, taking care to keep them green. Then let the zucchini cool down. Don’t place them on a paper, so they can keep the oil. Cook the pasta in salted water and in the meantime in a large pan, prepare a topping with a little 'of water from the pasta, butter, pepper, zucchini and half the cheese. Then add the pasta cooked "al dente" and stir until creamy away from the fire by adding the rest of the cheese, basil, pepper and salt to taste.
With the help of a ladle place the pasta in the middle of the plate. Then add the topping and a pinch of freshly ground pepper. This is a traditional plate with a sweet, greasy and fat flavor. It goes well with Biancolella dell’ Isola d’Ischia.
Come fare gli spaghetti di zucchine
Ma come si fanno degli spaghetti partendo da una zucchina? Ve lo spiego subito qui di seguito. Per preparare gli spaghetti di zucchine dovete utilizzare un attrezzo specifico che somiglia ad un grande temperino. La zucchine va messa all'interno e pian piano girandola verranno prelevate la parte esterna e poi la polpa, sotto forma di lunghe striscioline sottili, simili appunto a spaghetti.
Questo procedimento si può fare anche con altri tipi di ortaggi con la stessa forma, come carote e cetrioli per esempio, o anche con la zucca. Con la zucca però risulta più complicato perché bisogna prima tagliarla in un certo modo prima di “temperarla”. Per le prime volte suggerisco di preferite zucchine e carote essendo di più facile preparazione.
Leggi anche: Piatto Leggero di Zucchine
Oltre al temperino abbastanza maneggevole ci sono anche degli attrezzi con la manovella un po' più grandi e ingombranti che però di buono hanno il fatto che potete scegliere tra diversi spessori dello spaghetto. Con alcuni temperini potete fare anche le tagliatelle di verdure e altri formati di pasta lunga.
Condimenti
Io in genere condisco gli spaghetti di zucchine con il pesto e i pomodorini, specialmente in estate. O li utilizzo crudi e un po' croccanti, oppure li cuocio rapidamente in padella con l'olio e poi li condisco, se voglio un piatto caldo.
Spaghetti di zucchine e carote
Come vi dicevo, si possono trasformare in spaghetti anche altre verdure, per esempio le carote, che sono ancora più consistenti. Io faccio spesso questo mix e lo preparo sia caldo che crudo. Aggiungere degli ortaggi così tagliati all'interno di una semplice insalata, o anche come decorazione di un piatto, regala a qualsiasi ricetta un aspetto più sofisticato.
Quando invece ho voglia di una coccola, salto tutto in padella con poco olio per 5 minuti al massimo e servo come un primo piatto. Spesso cucino a parte degli spaghetti, intesi come pasta nel vero senso della parola, e poi li ripasso nel condimento di verdure. Si creerà un accostamento cromatico molto bello e le verdure si mescoleranno con la pasta, che ha appunto le stesse dimensioni, in maniera armonica.
Spaghetti di zucchine e gamberetti
Concludo con un'altra ricetta che adoro perché è leggera, semplice e molto originale. Si tratta degli spaghetti di zucchine con gamberetti e limone. Io preparo prima un condimento mettendo in un bicchiere olio extravergine di oliva, succo di mezzo limone, sale e pepe e un cucchiaio di salsa di soia. Aggiungo anche uno spicchio di aglio e del prezzemolo tritato al coltello. Lascio riposare e intanto cuocio i gamberetti dopo averli puliti. Li scotto in una padella solo con del succo di limone e condisco con sale e pepe.
Poi taglio le zucchine a spaghetti e le scotto in acqua bollente per un paio di minuti. Le scolo per bene e poi le condisco con l'intingolo, privato dell'aglio, e con i gamberetti. Completo con del pepe nero, della scorza di limone grattugiata e ancora un giro di olio extravergine di oliva.
Spaghetti alla chitarra con pesto di zucchine
Prepare the spaghetti “alla chitarra” by sifting the flour, into a large bowl and making a well in the centre. Break the eggs into the well and whisk with a fork, gradually adding the flour. Continue mixing by hand until the dough is smooth and even. Make the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave aside for at least 1 hour. Roll out the dough with the rolling pin on a lightly floured worktop, making a sheet about 5 mm thick. Place the sheet of dough over the chitarra pasta cutter and roll the rolling pin over it lengthways, pressing the spaghetti through the wire. Gather up the spaghetti and arrange them, well-spaced out, on a floured pastry board and leave to dry for 20-30 minutes.
Chop the courgettes and add to a blender with the pine nuts, salt, pepper, basil, a few mint leaves, the grated Grana Padano Riserva and the olive oil. Purée everything until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water for a few minutes, then drain and dress with the courgette pesto and Grana Padano Riserva. Serve immediately.
This was traditionally the dish that Nerano wives would make for their husbands when they came home from fishing excursions.
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