Linguine alla Nerano

Ingredients

• 6 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced into 1/8 inch rounds
• 1 cup olive oil extra virgin (for frying the zucchini) + extra for garlic and garnishing
• 500g fresh linguine or tagliatelle
• 2 cloves peeled garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 cup Provolone cheese, grated
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large sauté pan, add the olive oil, and warm on medium high heat. Add zucchini in a single layer and brown on each side (about 1-2 minutes per side). Once fried, place the slices on a paper towel to remove the excess oil. A really lovely tip is to place the zucchini, then place torn basil over top. Continue layering until all the zucchini is cooked. Reserve.
2. Meanwhile, in a large stock pot bring water to a boil. Salt generously. Add the pasta and cook until al dente and drain, keeping aside a large cup of the cooking water.
3. In the same sauté pan, remove most of the olive oil, place in the 2 garlic cloves and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pan and discard.
4. Place in the zucchini slices, then take the pasta directly from the boiling water into the mixture. Toss together ensuring that the pan is not dry. If it is and some additional cooking water. Turn off the heat, add butter, black pepper, and the cheese. Toss continuously until you obtain the creamy texture.  This should be very cream, so feel free to add in more pasta water as you go.
5. Plate the pasta, garnishing with additional torn basil leaves.

Tips and Tricks

• The smaller the zucchini the tastier!
• Most incredible if you are eating this right away
• The process of turning off the heat and tossing in the cheese with starchy cooking water and fat is called Mantecare.
• I love the tip of using some parm at the bottom of the dish before plating