I'm not a HUGE pasta fan, but this dish knocks my socks off. This is a recipe from the Old Spaghetti Factory which I participated in last week. Just thinking about it makes my taste buds tingle. Yes, it truly does melt in your mouth. I can't wait to try my hand at this recipe this weekend. Hopefully I can track down some Mizithra (a Greek hard cheese).
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup butter
3/4 pound Mizithra cheese
DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta in large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain. When pasta is almost done, start slowly melting butter over medium heat until golden. Skim butter solids off top. Toss pasta with butter. Sprinkle with cheese to taste.
TO BROWN THE BUTTER:
Browned Butter Procedure: Cut 2 sticks of butter into 8 pieces and place in a 2-quart sauce pan. Place the pan of butter on a burner on medium heat. Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes). Once the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks it will start to foam and rise. Continue stirring, otherwise the butter foam could overflow (about 5 minutes) and catch fire. Once the butter stops foaming and rising, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma. Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes. Pour the brown butter through a strainer into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan. The brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave as needed.
