For anyone who has ever been to the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant chain, you may have seen this item on their menu (a la Homer). While not very calorie-friendly, this amazing dish is almost as easy to prepare as simply opening and heating a can/jar of pasta sauce. There are only 3 ingredients, and one of those is the pasta itself!

According to wisegeek.com, mizithra (or myzithra) cheese is a Greek cheese made from the whey of goat or sheep milk. You can buy it fresh or aged, but for this recipe, you will want to look for the cheese in its aged state (also called Xinomyzithra). The package may not distinctly specify aged, but it will be a solid, crumbly cheese with a creamy white color, while the fresh version is softer and more creamy.

Mizithra is really fairly inexpensive to buy. I bought a wedge for just a couple bucks, and we have been able to make 3-4 meals out of it. It is not all that difficult to find either. I bought it at Whole Foods, but have seen it in many other places.

Now, back to the dish… The flavor is amazing, but I will tell you, it is going to be salty! Mizithra by itself is fairly salty, and adding butter only intensifies the taste. So, I like to eat this dish as more of a side than a main entree. It helps to provide a little balance if you eat a smaller portion of this pasta, served with a couple veggies. Edit: Using unsalted butter really helps to cut back on the extreme saltiness.

Spaghetti with Browned Butter and Mizithra

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup mizithra cheese, grated

METHOD
1. To brown the butter, simply heat place it over medium heat until it begins a soft boil. Stir constantly while it foams to avoid sticking. The butter is ready when it has a nut-brown color and gives off a nutty aroma. If you continue cooking past this point, it will become over-done and be much more bitter, so try to stop when it reaches the nut-brown color. The browning process will leave some particles at the bottom of the pan. These can easily be avoided by straining the butter through a cheesecloth.

2. While the butter is browning, cook the pasta until al dente.

3. Either mix the butter in with the pasta, or you may choose to add it over the plated pasta. I think mixing it directly in the pot is a better option, because it coats the pasta more evenly and should not be as runny on your plate.

4. Shred the cheese on top of the plated pasta, once it is ready to serve.

Of course, you could add garlic, parsley, oregano… the usual pasta fixins, but honestly, you don’t need it. The mizithra and browned butter has all the flavor it needs.