Spaghetti Madness - Spaghetti with Zucchini alla Nerano - Chef Alfonso Caputo

It was maybe a week after my visit to Taverna del Capitano in Marina del Cantone that I realized it.  I realized that I had spent a fantastic day on the beach followed by an even more spectacular lunch with Chef Alfonso Caputo that I had missed something very important.  Something big.
I didn't try a simple dish that, from what I had been told by several amici , Caputo had one of the best.  His spaghetti with zucchini alla Nerano.
So I had to go back.  A couple of weeks ago I showed up at his doorstep with a grande curiosity and an even larger appetite.
I watched closely in the kitchen as the chef prepared this piatto semplice for me and a dining room full of diners like me who wanted a little of Caputo's spaghetti madness.

Chef Alfonso Caputo

Fried zucchini were tossed with previously cooked spaghetti (al dente, thank you).  Over the next few minutes, Caputo explained the dish to me as he casually added water to the pasta and zucchini...hot water that he had cooked the pasta in, rich in starch.  He tossed and tossed and tossed every now and then, not missing a beat as he continued to prepare other dishes that needed to make it to the pass.

Simple, Karen, he said as he added a few chunks of butter...tossing, tossing, tossing.
The important thing is mixing well...and the right cheese.

Which cheese?  I asked, watching every move.
Parmigiano is ok...
Romano?
Anche...also...he said as he added cheese and continued to toss.
A little more acqua, a couple of tosses and the pasta had fused perfectly with the cheese, butter and zucchini.

All that was left now was to plate it up...

add a basil leaf...a sprinkle of cheese

and taste...

spaghetti madness...