Myzithra, brown butter and pasta are a great combination, only made better by the addition of fresh arugula. This recipe was inspired by the myzithra spaghetti from the Old Spagetti Factory in Spokane, Washington and an amazing risotto with fresh arugula I enjoyed at a small restaurant on Italy’s Mediterranean coast.
Simple ingredients. Amazing flavor.
1 pound fresh, local Deep Roots Farm arugula, well rinsed
12 ounces spaghetti pasta
2 cups finely grated myzithra sheep’s milk cheese
4 ounces salted Organic Valley butter
3 cloves local Affinity Farm garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
Melt butter in heavy bottomed sauce pan. Press garlic, add to butter. Cook over low heat until browned.
Browning the utter and garlic.
Place arugula in large, flat pasta bowl.
In large pot, bring water to a boil, add salt. Add pasta, cook, following package directions, until al dente. I prefer rice pastas, wheat, corn, quinoa will all work well with this recipe. Drain in colander. While hot, place on top of arugula.
Pour butter and garlic over pasta. Top with grated myzithra. Toss.
Finely grate the myzithra.
Layer arugula, pasta, browned butter & garlic, finally the cheese.
Pair with a glass of Colter’s Creek Koos Kooskia red wine or Colter’s Creek Viognier white wine.
PCFC Local Foods, Local Flavors blogger, Colette DePhelps, is, above all, a local food enthusiast. At home or abroad, she searches out and enjoys preparing and eating local, seasonal cuisine. Writing PCFC Local Foods, Local Flavors blog posts has become a family endeavor – with “Wait, I have to get a picture!” a common household phrase. In her free time, Colette is a Community Food Systems Area Extension Educator with University of Idaho in north Idaho.