Pasta al Burro e Formaggio

Cuisine: Italian
Region: Common

Italian, hearty, classic and so simple a pasta recipe it’s almost… unbearable. Enjoy!

Serves 4
Cooking time: 10-15 min
You need: a pot and big bowl

Ingredients

• 1 pack of Spaghetti or Macaroni (@500g or @2 Lbs)
• 200g (less than 1 Lb) of grated cheese (@50g or less than 2oz per person)
• 4 Tbsp of butter (1 Tbsp per person)
• +2 Lt of water

Instructions

For the Spaghetti

1. Add at least 2 Lt of water in a pot.
2. Add salt.
3. Turn on the fire and bring it to a boil.
4. Add the spaghetti in the pot and stir from time to time.
5. The spaghetti is to be al dente, cooked but not loose. Check the instructions on the pack for the exact cooking time.

For the Macaroni

1. As above, put the macaroni into salted boiling water, and boil twelve to fifteen minutes, or until the macaroni is perfectly soft (meaning: the opposite of al dente. Check the instructions on the pack for the exact cooking time.)
2. Stir frequently to prevent the macaroni from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. Turn the macaroni into a colander to drain.

For the butter and cheese

1. While the spaghetti or macaroni is cooking, grate the cheese. You can start with 50g per person and then put some more in a small bowl so that guests can help themselves if they want more.
2. Take 1 Tbsp of butter per person, turn the fire on to medium-low and heat the butter up.
3. Turn the butter in a big bowl and mix the cheese with the butter.

Mixing it up

1. Turn the Spaghetti or Macaroni into the bowl and mix well.
2. You are now ready to serve.

Notes on Pasta with Butter and Cheese

• You can use Parmesan cheese (for a sweeter taste) or Pecorino cheese (for a saltier and sharper taste) or… any cheese you like, really.
• Regarding Spaghetti, avoid the thin varieties. (You need enough surface on the spaghetti so that the butter and cheese can stick to it.)
• Regarding Macaroni, go for Mezzani or Zitti (or any short Macaroni with a tube you have in the pantry, really.)