Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge fan of browned butter. I had brown butter pecan ice cream just this past Monday, for heaven’s sake! It’s the most delicious, nutty flavor and is so versatile. And when I’m pregnant, I’m going to take every chance I can to eat it!

Last Saturday at our local farmers market, we sampled fresh goat’s milk feta and fell in love. It was seriously one of those moments that made Tyler and I seriously consider setting aside a budget each month for farm-fresh finds at the farmers market! Fresh feta tastes nothing like store-bought feta, and has a richer, creamier texture and is a heck of a lot less pungent. The flavor is much more mild, yet it’s still a quite flavorful cheese. It’s hard to describe, but after sampling it my mind immediately thought, “myzithra”. So I insisted we buy some to cook with this week. Tonight was just Jack and I, so I made us a batch of noodles with browned butter, fresh feta cheese, and parsley. It was delicious and both of us cleaned our plates!

Browned Butter Rotini with Feta Cheese & Parsley

8oz rotini pasta (preferrably whole wheat, but I only had regular on hand)

4 to 6oz farm-fresh feta cheese (or myzithra cheese, found in the specialty cheese section at a whole-foods market)

small handful of fresh parsley, chopped finely (I used the curly kind, not the flat-leaf)

3 to 4 T. butter (no substitutes here!)

Get your pasta cooking. Meanwhile, brown the butter in a small saute pan (preferrably a light-colored one so you can tell when your butter is browned). Here’s how you do this: melt the butter on med-low heat, and keep stirring until the butter turns brown and there are sediments at the bottom of your pan. Use your nose – when it gets that distinguishable nutty scent and is a caramel brown color, it’s ready. Some prefer to strain the butter, but I just use it as is.

Drain your pasta and put in a serving dish. Pour the browned butter over the top, and crumble the fresh feta on top as well. Lastly, sprinkle with your fresh parsley and season with a bit of sea salt. Enjoy!