While they never really went away, courgettes are back in abundance at Testaccio market. Also in Margate, according to my friend and ingredient-synchronicity checker, Adriana. This morning, Marco, who grows vegetables in a green belt of Rome called Casaletto, had crates of dark green and bulbous nero di Milano, as well as pale green and fluted romanesco, each topped with a flower that made them look like a flaming candle or a Troll Doll with upcombed hair. I bought six, with spaghetti in mind.
According to the magazine La Cucina Italiana, spaghetti alla Nerano dates back to the early 1950s and was the result of happenstance at Ristorante Maria Grazia, which is situated metres from the sea in the Marina del Cantone, on the edge of Nerano on the Sorrento coast. The story is familiar: a regular customer (a prince) arrived (maybe) at an unusual hour and was made a meal with what was available in the kitchen, namely, thin slices of courgette that had been fried that morning and the leftovers of three local cheeses, which at the time did not include provolone del Monaco or parmesan. The dish was a hit, so it was made again and again until it was perfected and became a fixture on the menu, soon rippling out like a wave to other menus in other restaurants, and so on and so on. Exactly how it was perfected at Ristorante Maria Grazia remains a secret, of course. The ingredients might be common knowledge – courgettes, basil, olive oil, pepper, spaghetti, three cheeses – but the procedure and quantities are known only to the family, meaning their spaghetti alla Nerano can only be eaten at their tables with a sea view for €24. Meanwhile, we home cooks can be inspired by the spirit of the dish to make something a bit like spaghetti alla Nerano, by frying rounds of courgette in olive oil and mixing them with basil, garlic, spaghetti and three sorts of cheese.
