NERANO SPAGHETTI – A MODO NOSTRO

You have only to attend the local procession of Sant'Antonio in June to realise this. Ancient fishing lore, civic pride and devotion, shared generational memories of seaborne travellers from distant lands – they are all wrapped up in this moving communal ritual.

As many of our guests already know, Marina di Cantone also has some serious culinary traditions. Many is the time that we have sat with family and friends on the decked terrace of Lo Scoglio, relishing a plate of spaghetti alla Nerano – that legendary meld of pasta, courgettes (or zucchini if you will) and tangy cheese. (The recipe, generously shared with us ten years ago by our friends Tommaso, Antonia and Margherita, is still the most read and shared Le Sirenuse Journal article of all time).  The dish was invented in the 1950s at Maria Grazia a little further along the beach – and their current-day version is excellent too.

How do you compete with such an iconic dish? Our answer is: you don't.

As new kids on a block that we have entered in awe of everything that previous generations of neranesi have created, we decided to leave this enduring pasta classic to its creators and early adopters. Then, out of a conversation we had with Le Sirenuse and Le Sirenuse Mare executive chef Gennaro Russo and Le Sirenuse Mare chef Francesco De Simone, an idea emerged.

Spaghetti alla Nerano was invented in 1952 by Donna Rosa, then the chef-owner of Maria Grazia, together with a regular client of the restaurant, legendary bon viveur Prince Caravita di Sirignano, known affectionally by all and sundry as ‘Pupetto’. It's a dish that reflects the taste of those dolce vita years for rich and sapid flavours, and we still love it for this very reason. But tastes have changed and seaside lunches (even in southern Italy) have become lighter and more healthful. Could we come up with a version of spaghetti alla Nerano that freshened things up without sacrificing flavour and personality?

His search for a more airy, healthful spaghetti alla Nerano took Francesco on a long but stimulating journey. In Pagani, at the foot of the Monte Lattari mountains, he discovered a cheese maker that produced a soft caciotta cheese from Jersey cows that had just the right combination of delicacy and flavour. The linguine or fresine he uses instead of the more classic spaghetti come from the last remaining artisanal pastificio in Torre Annunziata – a town in the bay of Naples that began making pasta even before its more celebrated neighbour Gragnano. Another of Francesco's signature flourishes was to include the flowers as well as the fruits of the zucchini plants.

But the chef's boldest move was to invite the sea in. In Le Sirenuse Mare's unique take on linguine alla Nerano, he adds a tartare of red Sicilian shrimps to the dish at the very last minute, alongside a prawn extract emulsified with extra-virgin olive oil, to bring a delicate sea breeze and a touch of sweetness to a dish grounded in local farming culture. “Habits are not set in stone, they change”, Francesco De Simone says of his new twist on this Nerano classic, “and it's people that change them. Otherwise we'd still be eating the same way we did five hundred years ago!”.

Francesco has generously supplied us with the recipe, though he advises that it may be difficult to reproduce it exactly as served at Le Sirenuse Mare unless you can source the right kind of caciocavallo cheese, or fresh red gamberi (shrimps or prawns) from the waters off Mazara del Vallo in Sicily. There's an easy way to check however. Come see us in Nerano!

LINGUINE ALLA NERANO

serves four

300g (10.5oz) linguine (the chef uses fresine from Pastificio Setaro)

240g (8.5oz) courgettes (zucchini)

160g (5.5oz) courgette flowers, roughly chopped

160g (5.5oz) unsalted butter

100g fresh red shrimps or prawns

100g (3.5oz) medium-aged parmesan, grated

100g (3.5oz) semi-soft cow's cheese, grated

40ml (3 tbs) extra-virgin olive oil

10ml (2tsp) shrimp-head bisque (see recipe)

A generous bunch of basil, hand-torn into largish fragments

Enough sunflower oil to deep-fry the courgettes

Cut the courgettes (zucchini) into rounds of approximately 3mm. Lay them out on absorbent paper, salt lightly, and leave to dry out a little. At this stage, put the pasta water on to boil. Time the pasta cooking according to the instructions on the packet.

Heat the sunflower oil in a pan. When it reaches 175°C (350°F), carefully immerse the sliced courgettes and fry until golden brown. Remove and place on fresh kitchen paper.

Peel the shrimps, cut the bodies into four parts and place on ice. Carefully cut the heads in two just behind the eyes, discard the front parts (with the eyes) and place the rear section of the heads in a blender, covered with olive oil, with the addition of a little crushed ice. Blitz and then filter in a fine sieve to obtain the shrimp-head bisque.

Pour the olive oil into a thick-bottomed pan, set on a lively heat, and when hot, toss in the basil, the courgette flowers and the pre-fried courgettes. Add two ladle-fuls of the pasta cooking water and the butter. Amalgamate, then turn off the heat.

Drain the pasta quickly without letting it dry out, and add to the pan with the courgettes. Evenly sprinkle on the two grated cheeses and stir with a wooden fork on the lowest of flames to mantecare – a wonderful Italian word that means to coat every strand of pasta with a creamy layer.

Serve topped with the raw shrimp pieces and surrounded by the shrimp-head bisque.

Photos © Stefan Giftthaler