Mizithra Cheese

I thought it was probably time to start incorporating more cheese into my blog, since cheese provides my livlihood.
One cheese that we sell quite a bit of is Mizithra. We usually carry an aged version which is not a snacking cheese by any means. When people ask to taste it, I tell them that the taste and texture is that of salty dry wall but, when it is grated over pasta it becomes quite flavorful, salty and nutty and melting somewhat.
The Mizithra we sell is made from the leftover whey of sheep's milk and comes from Greece. Younger Mizithra can be used both in savory dishes as well as desserts and is similar to Ricotta Salata.
Due to the terrain of Greece, sheep milk cheeses are the most common. Another very popular Greek cheese is Feta. Feta is usually made from sheep's milk but I have found goat and cow feta also.
Our favorite dinner to make with Mizithra is Angel Hair Pasta with Brown Butter and Mizithra. It has been made very popular at the chain restaurant, Old Spaghetti Factory. What is brown butter? It is butter that is cooked until the solids get amber in color, in fact, almost burnt. The flavor of the butter becomes very different and is amazing, almost caramelly. You should make this recipe. You won't be sorry.

Angel Hair Pasta with Brown Butter and Mizithra - serves 4
8-12 ounces angel hair pasta
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup grated Mizithra cheese*

Grate the Mizithra cheese and set aside. Place the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the butter to a slight simmer while stirring constantly. The butter will begin to foam and rise. Continue stirring to keep the butter from overflowing your pan. Once the butter stops foaming, continue cooking until the butter gets amber in color. (Be careful not to let it get too burnt). Remove from the heat and keep butter warm while your pasta cooks.
Boil angel hair pasta until Al Dente. Drain and divide pasta onto 4 plates. Pour 1/4 of the butter over each of the plates and top with the grated Mizithra.

*If you can't find Mizithra, you can use Romano cheese.

Add a tossed salad with your favorite Italian dressing and maybe some garlic bread (I don't know why but I always want garlic bread when I have pasta) for a quick and easy dinner. From start to finish, the pasta dish takes about 15 minutes to make.