Old Spaghetti Factory’s Spaghetti with Burnt Butter

This is my sister Lauren’s favorite pasta dish. I was able to get the cheese at an Italian Deli in Kenosha and surprised her with this dish for her birthday. This is the signature dish of The Old Spaghetti Factory chain. Unfortunately there is no substitute for Mizithra cheese.

ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup Mizithra cheese
• pasta of choice

directions

• 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.
• Boil the pasta of choice until Al Dente. Drain pasta and divide into four servings. Spread 1/4 cup of Mizithra over each pasta serving. Top with 1/4 cup of hot brown butter.