Spaghetti alla Nerano, emblem of good Neapolitan cooking at Bagni Tiberio

Carmine reveals the recipe used to prepare them in the establishment’s restaurant

Contamination: this is a post-modern imperative, in an era in which we are all protagonists of migrations that lead us to get to know new cultures, new people and new flavors. Yes, because even in the kitchen, the watchword today seems to be the free exchange of ingredients and preparation methods belonging to different territories.

Spaghetti alla Nerano, for example, although a traditional Neapolitan dish, does not belong to the cuisine of Capri. On the contrary, they are typical of the area of Nerano, a small sea hamlet of the municipality of Massa Lubrense. It is located on the extreme tip of the Sorrento Peninsula and overlooks the Gulf of Salerno, on the same side of the Amalfi Coast.

It is a dish imported in Capri and today it is served on the tables of the islanders together with many other local dishes. The basic ingredients are spaghetti and zucchini; the original recipe calls for them to be accompanied by parmesan and provolone cheese, but there are also many other variations, which suit the tastes of those who choose them.

This is the recipe for Spaghetti alla Nerano that Carmine reveals to us, and which is used in their preparation at the Bagni Tiberio restaurant. First of all, fry the zucchini cut into rounds; once fried, heat some butter in a frying pan, pour in the zucchini and let it mix. Cook the spaghetti in salted water and, in the meantime, reheat the zucchini, add the spaghetti halfway through cooking and let it finish cooking with a handful of provolone del monaco. Wait until cooked and serve with plenty of basil. In the menu of Bagni Tiberio’s restaurant, Spaghetti alla Nerano appeared in the 1970’s and increased a culinary offer strongly based on traditional dishes, both from Campania and elsewhere. Recipes that, in addition to bringing unique flavors to the table, also tell of the places and people who live there: baked pasta, stuffed conchiglioni, risotto alla pescatora, spaghetti with squid, pasta alla siciliana… and then there are dishes considered “poor”, but that best represent the lifestyles and culinary habits of our ancestors, and are still appreciated in a world that, finally, understands how important it is to return to the “slow times” of the generations that preceded us. For this reason the menu cannot miss pasta and beans, or pasta with escarole… a poor cuisine, but always of the highest quality.