Pasta with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Mizithra

I am launching the site with a simple recipe that has been in my cooking “repertoire” for years. It is one in a “trilogy” of pasta with cherry tomatoes dishes that I make, using fresh, roasted or sautéed cherry tomatoes. I will post the rest of the trilogy recipes soon. Instead of the traditional parmesan I use aged Mizithra, a Greek cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk. Aged Mizithra comes in a white hard ball shape and is excellent for grating. The salty flavour and dry texture of the Greek Mizithra is perfect pairing for a simple spaghetti and people seem to like it even if they have never tried Mizithra before. I add layers of flavours with chopped flat leaf parsley, cilantro or basil and a handful of fresh cherry tomatoes, halved or sliced for the occasion. Sometimes I warm up a little olive oil with a teaspoon of Italian seasoning to add spicy notes and then drizzle that on the pasta just before serving.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb spaghetti

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup mizithra, grated

1/2 cup parsley, basil or cilantro, chopped

A bunch cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to the water and then add the pasta. Bring the water back to a boil and cook, testing frequently, until the pasta is just al dente.

When the pasta is done drain it, reserving one cup of the pasta cooking water, and place back in the pot.

Drizzle with olive oil, toss gently and then add the cheese, parsley and tomatoes. If needed add a tablespoon or so of the pasta cooking water to the pasta

Pile into individual pasta bowls and serve with additional grated mizithra.

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