Spaghetti Alla Nerano

• Grate cheeses.
  

OPTION 1

Prepare The Zucchini into Linguine

• Wash and dry the zucchini, and cut off ends. Then with the help of a mandoline or a sharp chef knife, and slice it lengthwise into thin 4mm sheets without reaching to the core of the zucchini (use firm flesh only).
  
• Stack the slices (2 at the time) and cut through it again into julienne (linguine).
  
• Save zucchini cores and scraps to make a refreshing zucchini-basil gazpacho amuse-bouche. Roast them in the oven or cook in the saucepan, seasoned with salt for 25 minutes; covered. Click here for more.
  

Par-boiled Zucchini

• Cook zucchini in heavily salted water for 3 minutes. Transfer them in ice bath to cool off. After a quick bath, drain.
  

OPTION 2

Prepare The Zucchini into Rounds

• To be prepared a day before. If you chose to follow the traditional recipe, you will have to get small zucchini (≈1 per serving). Slice them into thin rounds (about 3mm thick). Use a sharp knife. Spread zucchini rounds onto a baking tray, and leave them at room temperature overnight to dry out.
  
• If using the mandoline, leave the stems and cut into rounds. Spread zucchini rounds onto a baking tray, and leave them at room temperature overnight to dry out.
  

Fry Rounds Zucchini

• Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan (about 1-inch/2.5cm deep) to medium-high heat (170-180°C/340-355°F). Fry the zucchini on both sides until golden and crispy for about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Lightly salt while hot.
  

Zucchini Flower

• Cut zucchini flowers and basil into thin slices.
  

Cooking Pasta

• In the large pot, bring water to boil, add salt. Cook linguine for 6 minutes. Note that if they are cooked longer, pasta may break down when finished into the sauce. You want them to be served al-dente (5+5 minutes). Remove pasta from the water and reserve in a bowl. Turn the temperature down, and keep pasta water at a simmer.
  

Nerano Sauce

• Meanwhile, in the sautoir, gather minced zucchini flowers along with basil, and cold butter (Add fried zucchini if you have chosen the traditional way to do so). Turn on the heat, add the pre-cooked pasta and about a third of a cup/80g of simmering pasta water. Stir up pasta mixture using the long cooking tweezers or tongs, shacking the pan every so often. Add more boiling water as pasta releases its starch and are becoming al-dente; about 5 minutes later. Meanwhile, quickly reheat zucchini linguine in the hot pasta water, and drain.
  
• Remove from pan the heat, and add the cheeses in small batches, stirring constantly to allow each addition to melt smoothly before adding more. Add the zucchini linguine in between.
  
• Add more hot pasta water if necessary (the starch from the pasta water helps bind the sauce). Keeping the pan off direct heat while adding the cheese prevents overheating, which can cause the proteins in the cheese to seize up and create a grainy or clumpy texture.
  

Steps to Plate Spaghetti with Long Cooking Tweezers

• Grip the tweezers near the end for better control. Insert the tweezers into the pasta and rotate slightly to gather a neat bundle. As you lift, give the tweezers a slight twist (like twirling spaghetti on a fork) to create a tight, vertical nest. Place the ladle under the twisted pasta, and transfer spaghetti over the plate. Gently release the tweezers while maintaining slight pressure to keep the shape.
  
• Add more sauce and a drizzle of basil oil if desired. Buon appetito!