Brown Butter Mizithra Pasta

I really enjoy making things with a long recipe that is all from scratch. I don't mind the investment of time and effort because the results are usually worth it. That being said,
I ALSO appreciate a recipe that is 3 or 4 ingredients, is made quickly, and is delicious. This is one of those recipes.

So do you like Mizithra cheese? Have you had the Brown Butter Pasta and Mizithra cheese at Spaghetti Factory? I LOVE that stuff. Haven't been to a Spaghetti Factory in a very long time though. I have from time to time made pasta at home, with butter, and lot's of Mizithra and it's good, just not AS good as Spaghetti Factory's. So over the weekend, I decided to do some research and try to figure out why.

Here's what I figured out. One, the browned butter! Duh! That's what gives it such a delicious nutty flavor. But, I didn't know exactly how to "brown" butter. I do NOW though!

Two, the cheese, don't skimp on it. Douse it in cheese, tons o'cheese. You almost can't put enough cheese on it.

Do these two things and guess what, melt in your mouth, luscious, browned butter pasta with mizithra cheese just as good, if not better than Spaghetti factory.

Ingredients and Method:

two servings sizes of Spaghetti
1/2 stick butter
6 tablespoons grated Mizithra cheese
salt and pepper to taste
parsley or basil for garnish

Cook pasta until still slightly firm (al dente) in boiling salted water. Drain.

As the pasta is cooking, in a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Do not stir. The solids will separate from the oil in the butter. (At this point the oil is clarified butter, but that's not what we want)

Continue to heat, watching until the all solids have separated and the oil turns chestnut brown in color. If the butter foams too much, stir until browned. Immediately remove from heat and let the solids sink to the bottom of the pan.

Gently pour off ONLY the browned oil portion of the butter and immediately pour over the cooked spaghetti and mix well, pour cheese all over, mix well, add garnish and serve immediately. If not cheesy enough for you, just sprinkle on more Mizithra. You can't have too much in my opinion.

Enjoy!