Creamy zucchini-pecorino pasta: A luxurious, dairy-free delight from Italy

From Italy’s Amalfi Coast, pasta alla nerano features long, thin pasta tossed with a velvety sauce made with pureed zucchini. In this recipe from our cookbook “ Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we use a minimal amount of water to cook the pasta, then blend some of the starchy liquid with tender sautéed zucchini and golden garlic to create a creamy consistency without cream. Pasta with Pecorino-Zucchini Sauce and Basil Start to finish: 40 minutes Servings: 4 to 6 Ingredients: 1½ pounds medium zucchini 1 pound spaghetti OR bucatini Kosher salt and ground black pepper 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve 3 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 2 pieces 2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated, plus more to serve ½ cup lightly packed fresh basil, chopped Directions: 1. To the zucchini in the pot add the puree, drained pasta, butter, pecorino, basil and another ½ cup reserved pasta water. Cook over medium, tossing, until heated through and the mixture is creamy and the pasta is lightly sauced, 2 to 3 minutes; add more reserved pasta water as needed if the mixture looks thick and dry.