spaghetti alla Nerano and pizzeria-style Italian chop

the LA cheffing chronicles part 5

Apr 24, 2025

8 full days of cheffing later- the LA chronicles have wrapped. I’m leaving you with two Italian recipes I made on my final day that got rave reviews from my clients. perfect timing as I *just* touched down in Italy where I’ll be eating my body weight in prosciutto and parmigiano for the next week :) (can’t wait to share more about who I’m out here with!!!!!)

spaghetti alla Nerano

As I was reviewing the final menu with my client and proposed this pasta, I instinctually started describing what it was since I’ve found most people aren’t familiar. “Spaghetti with thinly sliced and then fried zucchini with lots of lemon, basil, and parm. It’s one of my favorites”.

They laughed to themself and said “have you ever been to Nerano?”

I shook my head.

“We go every summer, I’ve had this pasta hundreds of times!”

I laughed and said “well the pressure is on! I’ll do my best to recreate it for you!”

They loved my version. Just maybe less cheese and butter compared to what you’ll find in Nerano…

what you need

2 small green zucchini (or one large) sliced into thin rounds
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
~1/2 c olive oil
a handful of fresh basil, torn
1 lemon zested
1/2 c freshly grated parmigiano cheese
1/2 pound spaghetti or bucatini

what you do

Add oil to a medium skillet and heat over medium heat. there should be enough oil to generously coat the pan, so add more if needed. When the oil is hot, begin frying the zucchini in a single layer. Cook until golden brown on both sides, transferring to a paper towel lined dish and seasoning with salt when done. Work in batches until all are fried.

To the remaining oil, add in the garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from heat. Cook pasta 1-2 mins under al dente in salted boiling water. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pasta directly into the pan with the oil. Toss well to coat the pasta, adding a few ladles of pasta water to help coat it. Add in the zucchini slices, fresh basil, lemon zest, and parmigiano cheese and toss the pasta once more to combine. Add more cheese as needed to help thicken sauce. Serve immediately, finishing with a sprinkle of fresh basil

pizzeria-style Italian chopped salad

I have made dozens of variations of this guy, with all different kinds of veggie bases, cheese, cured meats, and pickled veg. I think the below is my all-time favorite combination. The salty sharpness of the pecorino is just perfect along side the bite of the pepperoncini and onion. The mix of radicchio, fennel, and iceberg creates the perfect salad base. And the vinaigrette gives nostalgic pizzeria salad in the best possible way.

What you need

head of radicchio, washed and thinly sliced
fennel bulb, washed and thinly sliced
head of iceberg lettuce, washed and thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in ice water
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
~half of a small soppressata, casing removed and diced
~6 oz pecorino romano, diced
~8 pepperonici, seeded and chopped
~3 roasted red peppers, chopped
handful of dried black olives, chopped (I found these at a local farmer’s market, but big, juicy castelvetrano olives would also work nicely!)
parsley, finely chopped, for garnish

For the dressing

1 small shallot, minced
1 tsp of pepperoncini juice from jar
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
few cracks of black pepper
~1/3 c olive oil

What you do

make dressing by combining minced shallot with pepperoncini juice and vinegar in a small bowl. allow to sit and quickly pickle while you prep the rest of your salad fixings. I like to combine radicchio, fennel, and iceberg in one bowl and mix the remaining toppings in a separate, small bowl.

Add oregano, salt and pepper to the dressing. then, while mixing, slowly stream in olive oil. taste and season with additional salt as needed.

Mix chickpeas with a few spoonfuls of dressing and set aside.

Toss radicchio/fennel/ iceberg mixture with dressing until evenly coated. Divide between 2-4 plates, then generously heap a few spoonfuls of the chopped toppings on each, along with the chickpeas. finish with parsley and you have yourself a meal!