Recipe update from February 2009
One of my favourite dishes my mom would serve is a plain spaghetti (Makaronia) that was tossed in butter until slightly browned, then the pasta was drained and tossed in the brown butter with crumbled Feta cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to cap the dish.
Brown butter is a sauce unto itself and in my opinion, under-rated. The next time you’re feeling for pasta yet you want something simple but complex at once. My recipe uses two Greek cheeses: Kefalotyri, a sharp sheep milk cheese and dry Mizithra, a dried salty ball of cheese made from the whey leftover after making Feta. Look for both at your local Greek market.
The version I am presenting today is the one I served this past weekend at my last Greek Supper Club. The recipe will leave you with extra brown butter but that’s okay, just store in a plastic container in your fridge. I am sure you’ll go back for more!
Spaghetti with Brown Butter
Course: Main, Pasta4-6
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
2 cups melted unsalted butter
200 gr. dry spaghetti (Misko brand)
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions or chives
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Kefalotyri or Romano cheese
1/2 cup grated dry Mizithra cheese
fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions
- In a small pot, add your butter over medium heat. Keep your eye on the melting butter and soon you will see the milk solids begin to foam and quickly disappear…THIS is where you have to watch carefully.
- Your butter will turn from a golden yellow to a chestnut brown very rapidly. Your goal is to get a nut-brown colour to your butter. Once you have that nut-brown butter, take off the heat, transfer to a bowl to halt the butter from browning more.
- Get a pot of water boiling on your stovetop. When aboil, add a good amount of salt, add your spaghetti and cook according to packet’s instructions.
- When your pasta is cooked to an “al dente”, strain (reserve a couple of ladles of pasta water) and place back in the pot. Add a ladle of warm brown butter and toss to coat. Add more if desired.
- Add a ladle of pasta water, toss and once you see a creamy texture (add second ladle of pasta water if needed), add the grated Kefalotyri, parsley and chives , take off the heat and gently combine with the pasta.
- Divide and plate, top with grated Mizithra cheese and serve.
76 Responses
You are killing me with all these carbs…i guess now that January is gone, I can put aside my resolutions ;)
I can’t believe I am the first one to post. I somehow feel victorious!
Aaah! The memories. My mother would do the same except add myzithra on top. But I’m sure yours is “right”…Can’t wait to see the new design Peter.
Definitely yummy! An unusual combination!
Cheers,
Rosa
Definitely yummy! An unusual combination!
Cheers,
Rosa
Definitely yummy! An unusual combination!
Cheers,
Rosa
Definitely yummy! An unusual combination!
Cheers,
Rosa
Definitely yummy! An unusual combination!
Cheers,
Rosa
A fellow SA blogger posted pasta with burnt butter this week and I thought to give it a try…and now you too!!! It is a sign…I’ll have to make this today!!
Couldn’t be more simple, yet sounds so delicious.
Cheers,
Elra
Ooooh now guess what Jan is making tomorrow? Looks lovely and really yummy…..In fact, if I have time to get some feta before I start work….tonight that’s what I’ll be cooking!
Hi Peter! I certainly could enjoy this after a busy day, not complicated to make, just really great flavors. No shopping necessary. Your balance of cheese to pasta looks perfect too.
LL
never heard of brown butter – now i must go off and investigate
WOW…m drooling I love pasta and this sure is a winner :)
Love brown butter sauce and this would be absolutely delicious!
Brown butter is new to me Peter… but new flavours are accepted here ;D. Ahhhh now I’m craving for pasta too… Sorry chico, I’m kind of busy too and not visiting as often as I wish.
I’ll go and see what is that thing on bread :D
A hug big boy!
Just when I was thinking that I needed to do some lighter eating – you give me carbs, fat and salt and by golly I want it!
Hi Peter, my family enjoys pasta dishes and this one sounds definitely a good one to try out!
You know Peter, when I was a young girl (many years ago) there were only a few foods I enjoyed eating (not as nowdays that I eat almost everything). My favourite was spaghetti with feta cheese. I still like it!!!!
This is a simple but delicious dish! Yum Yum !
The simple flavours shine through in this pasta dish Peter.
Yumm. Yumm. Good. I have to take my simple buttered spaghetti up and notch and try these flavors.
I’m going to try this. I do feel for a bit of pasta.
Oh, my daughter would love this. I like pasta, browned butter and myzritha. Yum. But I think pasta with butter, browned or not, and just about any cheese is just this side of heaven.
I love brown butter on pasta, such a perfect pairing.
Agaphte Peter,
I am greek and this is one of the foods my mother made that I loved the most, still do; the only main difference with your recipe is that she always used olive oil, she let lots of olive oil in the pan untill it is bearning hot then pour this on the spaggeti.
I enjoy your blog very much.
Maria
Peter this looks and sounds so fantastic. I love the crumbled feta cheese.
That looks so good….I do love feta, must try it your way with some pasta….!
cheers, trupti
the spice who loved me
Looks great! Pasta with cream and cheese is always a big hit hereabouts!
I love when you make dishes like this. Feta and pasta…ohh how I love thee!
This looks amazing, Peter! Pass me a plate!
when i was younger, i used to douse my plain spagetti noodles with many a pat o’ butter and a little parmesan cheese. this takes me back to those good ol’ days. :)
I just know what I’ll have for lunch today. Easy and delicious recipes like this are my favorite!
Ohh, the art of the rustic Mediterranean cuisine! Brown butter or brown oil, garlic, soft cheese and pasta… the devine texture of simplicity.
Greeks are very fond on burnt butter on top of spaghetti with myzithra but personally I am not fond of this dish and only made it a couple of times because my husband was used to eating it.
Definitely my family’s comfort food! We also prepare it with mytzithra!
This is my kind of pasta, Pete! I have a weakness for feta. :D
I have that book and love it!
I’ll take anything with browned butter! This looks really delish!
Love those quick, tasty recipes Peter. I did a similar recipe but with olive oil, garlic and parmigiano. Was delicious.
Peter I love feta and these plate look awesome!! xxyummy Gloria
So much delicious butter and feta flavor. This is fabulous!
This looks wonderful Peter. I’ve had brown butter and mizithra over spaghetti but never with (my very favorite cheese) feta. Can’t wait to try this one.
I often toss spaghetti with browned butter but add meyer lemon zest. Love your version with the feta!
I love feta cheese, I bet it was perfect with the brown butter.
Sketa makaronia me tiri was often a quick, go-to meal throughout my childhood as well. It was actually the only thing I found myself “craving” when I was pregnant!
This is so yummy looking – I cannot imagine eating pasta without Feta!!!
Oh, this looks just wonderful. I’d love to have this for lunch :)
mmmmmm pasta..mmmmm feta…Spells yummy to me!
This looks simple and great!
i’ve never thought of putting feta on warm pasta. but it sounds delicious with the brown butter! this is definitely going on my quick dinner list!
Brown butter makes almost everything better. :)
This would be my son’s version of Heaven! I think I’d enjoy it, too!
Everything’s made betta with feta!
That’s corny, isn’t it?! Oh well, I can’t help it. I love feta cheese and miss working in a Greek restaurant where we stocked it by the tall, metal canister-fuls. Yum.
Oh. YUM. I have feta in the fridgernator, and spaghetti in the pantry…hmmmmmmm….lunch? :)
I’m pretty sure I would like this since I love pasta, burro e parmigiano (pasta, butter and parmigiano) Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best.
Oh goodness, that looks good! I shall give it a try soon. Rich, buttery, salty pasta… mmm..
Buttery pasta with cheese, such an amazing meal!
Simple yet so flavorful… love it. Great for after one of my long runs.
This is one of my favorite comfort foods, Peter. I actually prefer myzithra over feta, but both are SO tasty. I used to make pastas like this when I first learned to cook in middle school and they are still one of my favorites to this day!
Thanks for the lovely comments Peter..theres another fruit in cake waiting :)
Imarton Panagitsa mou
This is quite a temptation for the month of February when everybody is on ..diet. I am going now to find the kakavia! Hi Peter!
This is just the kind of recipe I need! It’s quick enough to make between teaching and going to school and it’s pasta, butter, and cheese! What else could I possibly ask for! Thank you!
I love food like this. It’s rich and satisfying, yet for me it doesn’t take much to fill me up on heavy foods, so a little goes a long way with me. And if you use a whole grain pasta, you get the fiber and you stay full longer. I think it’s a perfect diet food!
This is totally my kind of pasta dish!
I should have a T-shirt that reads: I HEART feta. This is my favorite kind of dish — so simple and delicious.
This pasta sounds nice and simple and yet so good!
wow, sounds so simple yet so delicious!
First off, Artisan is 5? I think we should start a cult… that book is AMAZING!
And, brown butter pasta is my favorite type of pasta. I usually do it with egg noddles and farmer’s cheese, which is funnily a Pennsylvania Amish-y take on your delicious pasta. :)
Hi there! This sounds amazingly simple and delicious! Heating butter to brownish colour sounds like making ghee! So is brown butter the same as ghee?
You and your pasta & feta dishes get me every time… I may have to go straight home and replicate that! And agree 100%, browned butter is very much underrated.
My good friend D. loves to add some luncheon meat there too (you know, ZWAN), but I guess you don;t need more calories!
Peter – what an awesome dish. I’m actually glad I stumbled on Ben’s post linking to yours.
I’d love it if you shared a pasta dish with us at Presto Pasta Nights. Next week it turns 100…hint, hint.
I haven't heard of browb butter before, but the garlicky butter with pasta & fresh black peppers sounds really comforting..
the making of the butter sounds a lot like making Ghee (clarified butter).
I can’t believer you commented on my blog! I feel so honored. Also, I love feta and I LOVE your blog and I love you! (was that going too far?) Seriously, this looks great.
NIce recipe.. I remember having something similar with nuts and it was delicious.
So simple, but sure looks tasty!
For the longest time as a kid, I could never figure out why my mom’s pasta tasted different than mine. Then I went to culinary school and discovered brown butter and it was like a light shined down on me… I love tossing pasta in brown butter. I usually use whole wheat pasta and tastes great!
Only problem is, it is so easy to make, I think I make it too much!!!