Spaghetti alla Nerano with Mussels and Fresh Provolone

A simple but flavorful first course, where the spaghetti are wrapped in a creamy sauce made with fried zucchini and cheeses, among which Provolone stands out. In today's version, the recipe is enriched with a special ingredient from the sea: mussels, the "queens of the sea", which together with the scent of lemon and fresh Provolone, one of the oldest stretched curd cheeses in Southern Italy, give an irresistible version. This dish combines the flavors of the land and the sea in a perfect balance, offering a unique and unforgettable sensory experience with every bite. The original recipe calls for the spaghetti to be cooked in boiling water, drained halfway through cooking and then finished in a pan with half of the fried zucchini, creamed with cheeses and enriched with fresh basil. In my version, I recommend adding mussels during cooking. These seafood, among the most loved by Italians, protagonists of summer tables by the sea, give the dish an unmistakable and fragrant flavor, completing the harmony between sea and land. Mussels contain all the flavor of the sea with a strong and saline taste, and are used in many traditional dishes, such as mussel soup, mussel sauté, Neapolitan mussel soup, spaghetti with mussels, pasta and beans with mussels and Sardinian fregola with saffron and mussels, just to name a few. Now let's see what we need to make our Spaghetti alla Nerano with Mussels and Fresh Provolone. Ingredients 400 grams of spaghetti 8 zucchini 1 Fresh Provolone 800 grams of fresh mussels 2 cloves of garlic chili pepper 50 grams of grated pecorino cheese 50 grams of grated Parmesan cheese extra virgin olive oil to taste fresh basil 50 grams of butter salt Preparation Let's start by washing the zucchini, trim them and cut them into thin slices; dry them well with kitchen paper and fry them, a few at a time, in plenty of hot oil. Drain them on a sheet of paper towels. Now let's move on to the mussels: wash them under running water and transfer them to a large bowl with cold water and a handful of coarse salt. Let them drain for about an hour. After the time has elapsed, rinse them again to remove any salt and sand residues. For the dressing, crush two cloves of garlic and put them in a large pan with a chilli pepper and a drizzle of oil. Let it flavor over low heat. Add the mussels to the pan and cook them until they open. Remove the remaining closed ones and transfer the open mussels to a plate. Filter the cooking liquid of the mussels and pour it into a pan together with half of the fried zucchini, cooking over low heat. In the meantime, put a pot with plenty of salted water on the stove and cook the spaghetti for a quarter of the time indicated on the package. Drain them and keep the cooking water that we will need to complete the preparation. Transfer the spaghetti to the pan with the sauce and continue to cook them, adding the cooking water a little at a time to risotto them. Add the mussels, chopped basil and the remaining zucchini. With the heat off, add the butter, grated cheeses and the Fresh Provolone cut into small pieces. Stir everything until you get an enveloping cream. Our Spaghetti alla Nerano with Mussels and Fresh Provolone, are ready to be enjoyed, accompanied by a glass of light and delicate white wine.