Stanley Tucci Fried Zucchini Pasta Food

THAT ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI STANLEY TUCCI LOVES (SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO)

Steps:

• Place sunflower oil in a deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds.
• Add some zucchini to the hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a single layer on paper towels to drain and repeat to cook remaining zucchini. Let zucchini cool to room temperature.
• Transfer cooled zucchini to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it's 2 minutes away from being tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 10 minutes.
• As you are cooking the spaghetti, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to release juices, soften, and break down, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a couple splashes of the pasta water to the zucchini, but don't overdo it. Break zucchini into small pieces with the edge of a spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to low and toss in basil and butter; stir until butter melts.
• Grab spaghetti with tongs and transfer it right into the sauce; stir until coated. Mix in Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Add a final splash of pasta water and adjust salt if needed.
• Serve with more grated cheese and fresh basil.

SPAGHETTI WITH FRIED ZUCCHINI (SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO)

Steps:

• Wash and cut the zucchini into thin slices, then fry them in extra virgin olive oil until browned.
• Once fried, put the slices on paper towels to remove the excess oil.
• Meanwhile boil the pasta in plenty of lightly salted water until al dente and drain, keeping aside a cup of the cooking water.
• Heat some more olive oil in a frying pan with the 2 garlic cloves and cook taking care not to burn the garlic.
• Immerse the zucchini slices in boiling water for 4 or 5 seconds, then cream 1/3 of them either by mashing through a sieve or briefly liquidizing in a food blender with some of the pasta cooking water.
• Remove the garlic and add the cream of zucchini and the zucchini slices to the pan and then stir in the cooked spaghetti. If the dish appears too dry add some of the saved pasta cooking water. Continue to stir over a low heat for a minute.
• Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the grated provolone until it starts to melt and become creamy. Season with a sprinkling of pepper and salt as required, Serve decorated with the basil leaves cut into pieces and some extra grated provolone to taste.

ROMAN-JEWISH FRIED ARTICHOKES (CARCIOFI ALLA GIUDIA) - SEARCHING...

Steps:

• In a large bowl, we're going to create acidulated water* (which is just a fancy term for water with lemons) that helps keep your artichokes from turning brown! Fill the bowl with water and the squeezed juice of the lemons, along with the full lemon rinds.
• In a small bowl, mix salt and pepper and set aside.
• Remove the tough outer leaves until you only have the tender and pale leaves of the inside remaining. It should look like a closed 'rose' similar to the picture here.
• With a pairing knife, trim off the top 1/3 of the leaves. It should now look like a closed 'rose bud'
• Trim the stem to about 1 inch, and use a peeler on the remaining stem to remove the tough fibrous exterior.
• Fully immerse the artichoke in the acidulated (lemon) water, while you work on the rest of them.
• Repeat until all are completed.
• In a Dutch oven, put in enough oil to completely cover the artichokes (about 3-4 inches)
• While waiting for the oil to heat, remove the artichokes from the lemon water to dry them on top of paper towels. We recommend tapping the top of the artichoke against the table to loosen any water droplets that are inside of the leaves.
• Sprinkle them with the salt and pepper mixture.
• Once the oil is about 325F, you can place them in.
• Cook for about 15 minutes making sure to occasionally turn them over with tongs. You'll know they're complete once they start to turn a golden color.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and lay them stem-facing up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Once the artichokes have cooled, gently open the leaves and remove the choke* (that 'fuzzy' bit on the inside) with a melon baller. This is also a good time to try and get the leaves to spread open as much as possible.
• With the stem facing up, they can be covered and left in the fridge or at room temp until you're ready to do the 2nd round of frying. We recommend doing the 2nd round of frying right before serving so that they are as crisp and fresh as possible.
• In a Dutch oven, put in enough oil to completely cover the artichokes (about 3-4 inches) and heat to 350F. This can be the same oil as the first round, or a completely different oil if you choose.
• Place them stem-facing up in the oil until they crisp, working in batches.
• If you want, you can also carefully use tongs to push them to the bottom of the pot. This will help to brown the top of the artichoke even further, and will also get the leaves to 'blossom' open like a flower.
• Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them stem-facing up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Season with salt and serve

HOW TO RECREATE PASTA ALLA NORMA FROM STANLEY TUCCI: SEARCHING FOR ITALY

Steps:

• Place eggplant cubes in colander and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Let eggplant drain 15 minutes. Pat dry, removing excess salt. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add peperoncini and tomatoes with juice; cook until tomatoes begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Remove tomato sauce from heat. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in another heavy large skillet over high heat. Working in 3 batches and adding 1 tablespoon olive oil for each batch, cook eggplant until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer eggplant to tomato sauce in skillet. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water. Add cooking water to sauce; bring to boil. Add pasta and basil to sauce and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl; top with ricotta salata and serve.