Is it possible to improve perfection? I was wondering this a couple of years ago reading in the New York Times the twist that Alexa Weibel gave to the classic pasta with cheese and butter in Italian homes. “Taste is believe” is my motto, so I went into the kitchen, ready to sacrifice my beloved Parmigiano in this mixture that would turn his grave at the same time. Pellegrino Artusi.
If I am here telling you this recipe, you will have already imagined that the result was good. What am I saying, well: there is a before and after in my life, now I count the time in AM and PM: before the miso and after the miso. But what is pasta with cheese and butter?
Pasta donkey and Parmigiano
In the basic Italian recipe book there are two dishes for when you’re in a hurry, or you don’t feel like cooking, or you’re a little sick, or you want immediate satisfaction with little effort. One is the pasta with garlic, oil and chilli -which lends itself more to a rush or an impromptu midnight dinner. The other is pasta with donkey (butter) and Parmigiano, loved by children and adults alike and which in some forgotten regions by the grace of the God of butter is made with olive oil.
Pasta donkey and parmigiano It is a certainty, a caress for the soul. While the pasta is cooking, you grate the cheese, cut a little butter on the plate —20 grams will be enough—, then add the pasta so that it melts the butter and add the cheese so that it absorbs and at the same time dissolves in the fat . As with all simple recipes, the quality of the ingredients makes a big difference, so use the best you can afford.
What does miso provide?
You might think that miso—salty, sweet, umami—will kill an already tasty dish like this. The exact opposite is true: the miso covers the butter and cheese and acts as a bridge: its umami and sweetness merge with the Parmigiano and embrace the smoothness of the butter. The result is a more balanced dish, with more complex nuances. It has a single fault: you will want to eat more. The more delicate white miso lends itself particularly well: the one from the Asian supermarket will do just fine, but for a stratospheric experience try Ma’s Saikyo Miso! Condiments.
Difficulty
It’s heating and stirring, it really couldn’t be easier.
Ingredients
for 4 people
- 500 g spaghetti
- 80g butter
- 100 g finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
- 50g white miso
- 1 sheet of nori seaweed (to finish the dish, optional)
Preparation
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Bring plenty of water to a boil to cook the pasta. Add the salt (about eight grams per liter), add the pasta and set a timer to cook it for one minute less than indicated on the packaging.
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While the water boils, in a saucepan put the cut butter and the miso. Heat so that the butter melts and incorporate with the miso.
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Grate the cheese, if it was not already grated, and finely julienne the nori seaweed if it is going to be used.
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When the pasta is almost done, take out a saucepan full of the cooking water and add it to the butter and miso mixture.
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Drain the pasta, return it to its pot, add the butter-miso mixture and mix well.
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Add the grated cheese and continue stirring until well mixed and a delicious cream has formed. Serve the pasta, if you like, with the chopped seaweed.
If you make this recipe, share the result on your social networks with the hashtag #RecipesComidista. And if it goes wrong, complain to the Defender of the Cook by sending an email to [email protected].
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