This week’s saucy dish is inspired by Stanley Tucci’s favorite pasta from his show “Searching for Italy.” His favorite dish of all time is the Spaghetti alla Nerano (video below).
If I were to sum this dish up in an equation it would be as so:
Zucchini + cacio e pepe = Spaghetti alla nerano
Unlike many Italian recipes, the origins of Spaghetti alla Nerano are clear – the dish was invented by Maria Grazia, a restauranteur from Nerano. This pasta is not as difficult as it seems, and one that is very impressive.
- Fry thinly sliced zucchini. Set aside.
- Boil pasta, cook until very al dente, drain, reserving some pasta water.
- Sautee garlic lightly in olive oil. Add the pasta and 2/3 of the zucchini grounds. Add a ladel of pasta water. Stir. Add your cheese until a creamy sauce has formed. Adjust with more pasta water.
- Plate and add fried zucchini.
Here are the ingredients:
- Gluten-free spaghetti. Spaghetti are the classic pasta shape for this dish, but you can use whichever shape you like best. My favorite gluten-free spaghetti are from Rummo, Jovial (cassava spaghetti is great if avoiding corn), and Bionatura.
- Olive oil. Olive oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, has lots of antioxidants, and strong anti-inflammatory properties (such as having oleocanthal, which has been shown to work similarly to ibuprofen).
- Violife’s Vegan Parmesan. While the original recipe calls for provolone cheese, I replaced this with the best vegan substitute I know.
- Garlic.
- Black pepper.
- Zucchini. I steamed the zucchini instead of frying them. Mostly, because I’m not the most talented fryer.
This recipe is creamy, cheesy, but also vegetable-y, as the zucchini melt into the sauce. Enjoy!
