My latest creation is inspired by, of all places, The Spaghetti Factory.
The Spaghetti Factory is a family favorite and tradition. We've been going to the Spaghetti Factory in Newport Beach for as long as I can remember. Every time we go, we all order the same thing. Spaghetti with Browned Butter and Mizithra. It's Uh-Mazing.
If you haven't tried mizithra, get on the bandwagon already! It's delicious!
Put it on pasta, veggies, pizza, fish or just pile some mizithra on top of mizithra and eat that. You can't go wrong.
I wanted to copy-cat the Spaghetti Factory's recipe but I wanted to add some elements that I though would enhance the dish...pinetnuts, garlic, parsley, pepper, etc.
Alright, let's get started on making some pasta! This is wifey material here! Remember, the key is to have good ingredients: good cheese, fresh garlic and if possible, homemade or fresh pasta- I bought my ingredients from a local italian market where they make the pasta in house. It's good. Really good.
P.S. Use a fine grater for the mizithra cheese, but note, don't try to use the lemon zester on your grater like I did. I couldn;t figure out why my cheese wasn't grating. Duh. Me and my amateur moves!
When browing the butter, keep a watchful eye. You just want to carmelize it a bit. Think caramel colors.
Prep: 5 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes | Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1/4 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup butter
1/2 - 1 cup mizithra, depending on your love of cheese
2 tablespoons pinenuts
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon parsley or something pretty and green for topping
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta. While water is heating up or pasta is cooking, finely chop garlic and set aside. Use a fine grater to grate mizithra, set aside. In a small skillet, turn heat to medium and add butter diced into small pieces for quick melting. When butter is completely melted and starting to bubble, add garlic. Don't add garlic too soon or else it will burn. Stir the butter and garlic mixture often until the butter is a golden caramel color.
When pasta is al dente, remove from heat, drain and return pasta to original pan. Add the browned garlic/butter mixture, mizithra cheese, oregano pepper, pinenuts and mix well. Top with some extra pinenuts and oregano to make it look pretty. Presentation is half the battle.
