Spaghetti alla Nerano

Serve up memories of Sorrento with this authentic pasta dish

Spaghetti with zucchini (courgettes) or Spaghetti alla Nerano is a dish that was born on the Sorrentine Peninsula and tastes best when eaten while looking at the stunning sea views.

Spaghetti alla Nerano cooked to perfection!

But this delicious pasta dish is very simple to make and will conjure up wonderful memories of the bay of Naples and the holiday you enjoyed there, wherever in the world you serve it up.

It is believed to be the invention of a lady called Maria Grazia, the proprietor of Ristorante Maria Grazia down at Marina del Cantone which overlooks the beach below Nerano just a few kilometres south of Sorrento out along the peninsula.

The only ingredient you might find difficult to get when you are away from Italy is provolone or caciocavallo cheese, but you can always double the amount of parmesan that you use instead.

For centuries there was a restaurant on the beach at Marina del Cantone providing meals for the local fishermen.

Ristorante Maria Grazia started up in 1901 and the owners claim to have invented Spaghetti alla Nerano at the beginning of the 1950s.

But you will now find this dish on the menus of the other restaurants at Marina del Cantone and at restaurants in the resort of Sorrento itself.

For four people you will need:

400 gr spaghetti

700 gr zucchini (about four whole zucchini)

extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

sea salt

black pepper

100 gr provolone or caciocavallo cheese cut into cubes

100 gr grated parmesan

fresh basil

Cut the zucchini into thin slices and fry in hot oil. Take off heat before they start to burn. Blot dry on kitchen paper, then plunge into boiling water for a few seconds and then drain.

Cook the spaghetti until al dente

Brown the garlic in olive oil in a frying pan. Remove the garlic, add more oil and some sea salt and then add the drained zucchini. Add the spaghetti with a ladle full of the water it was cooked in. Add the cheese and black pepper, mix well and serve topped with leaves of fresh basil. Buon appetito!

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