Spaghetti alla Nerano

A dish born on the Amalfi Coast, alla Nerano is deceptively understated: thinly sliced zucchini, slowly fried in olive oil until silky and yielding, then tossed with spaghetti, a snow of Provolone del Monaco, and plenty of basil until the whole thing becomes an improbably lush, creamy tangle. The secret is the zucchini's double life — it's fried a day ahead so it can collapse into the pasta as a sauce, releasing its concentrated sweetness into every strand.

Ingredients

• medium zucchini, sliced into ⅛-inch / 3 mm rounds – 5 medium zucchini
• olive oil, for frying – 2 cups
• fine sea salt, to taste – to taste

• spaghetti – 14 oz
• kosher salt, for pasta water – 2 tablespoons
• unsalted butter, cold and cubed – 4 tablespoons
• Provolone del Monaco or aged provolone, finely grated, divided – 1½ cups loosely packed
• Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated – ½ cup loosely packed
• fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more to serve – 1 cup loosely packed
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste – to taste

Instructions

1. Fry the zucchini: Pour the olive oil into a wide, deep skillet or saucepan to a depth of about ¾ inch and heat over medium to 325–350°F / 165–175°C. Fry the zucchini rounds in batches, turning once, until golden and very tender — 4 to 6 minutes per batch. Don't rush this; the slices should be fully cooked through and slightly translucent, not just lightly colored. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined tray with a slotted spoon, season lightly with fine sea salt, and let cool completely. Reserve the frying oil.
2. Rest the zucchini: Transfer the cooled fried zucchini to a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours — ideally overnight. This resting step is not optional; as the zucchini sits, its cell structure continues to soften and it absorbs back any residual moisture, becoming almost paste-like at the edges. When you're ready to cook, bring it back to room temperature for 20 minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously with the kosher salt. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, but begin checking it about 2 minutes early — you want to pull it out while it's still slightly underdone, since it will finish cooking in the pan. Before draining, use a heatproof measuring cup to scoop out a generous amount of the starchy pasta water and set it aside.
4. While the pasta cooks, warm about 2 tablespoons of the reserved frying oil (or fresh olive oil) in a large, wide skillet over medium heat. Add the room-temperature fried zucchini in a single layer and let it heat through for about 2 minutes, pressing gently on the slices with the back of a spoon. Add a ladleful of the starchy pasta water and let it come to a simmer — the zucchini will start to break down and merge with the water into a loose, silky sauce. Use your spoon to gently crush roughly half the zucchini slices, leaving the rest whole for texture.
5. Add the underdone spaghetti directly to the zucchini skillet. Toss vigorously with tongs over medium heat, adding small splashes of pasta water as needed to keep things loose and saucy. After a minute or two, once the pasta is nearly cooked through and the sauce is coating the noodles, remove the skillet from the heat. Add the cold butter cubes and toss continuously until fully melted and absorbed.
6. Add about three-quarters of the Provolone del Monaco, all of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the torn basil. Toss again energetically, adding another small splash of pasta water if the sauce feels too thick — it should flow and coat each strand in a glossy, creamy layer. Taste and adjust salt. Divide among warm bowls, scatter the remaining Provolone and a few extra basil leaves over the top, and finish with a generous grind of black pepper.