Cretan Pasta Skioufikta with Xinomizithra
Cretan Skioufikta pasta with Xinomizithra is a wonderful and easy dish ready in less than 15 minutes. A dish for all pasta lovers who like simple tastes but full of flavor!
The Greek, Cretan Skioufikta traditional pasta
This is a traditional Cretan dish with fresh white sour cheese, pasta, and butter. To make Cretan traditional pasta you only need flour, water, olive oil, and salt.
I eager you to come to Crete, taste its exquisite cuisine, swim on blue water seas and meet hospitable people!
The tradition says that we make them during Lent Cheese week (aka Cheesefare or Tyrini) but if you are a pasta lover, like me, you do not need a special time or season to enjoy this delicious pasta!
In Crete, we use a special local butter called Stakovoutiro for this dish, but since I didn’t have any while making them, I used a good quality butter that I had handy in my fridge. Stay tuned as I will make handmade Cretan Skioufikta pasta at a later time to show you the procedure.
The spelling of the pasta Skioufikta varies even in Crete so all the following are correct: Skioufikta, Skioufichta, Skioufixta, Sioufixta, Sioufikta.
What is Cretan Xinomyzithra?
Cretan Xinomyzithra is a sour, fresh, whey cheese that is made from a variant of Myzithra and has a PDO (Protected Destination of Origin) badge.
It is created from Sheep’s and goat’s milk and it looks like fresh ricotta cheese but it tastes very different since it has a unique sour taste.
The spelling of this cheese varies, even in Greek so all the following names are correct: Xinomizithra, Xynomyzithra, Xinomyzithra
How to cook store bought Skioufikta pasta
I usually tell you to follow the instructions on the package when it comes to pasta but in this case, this does not apply. The boiling time written on the packaging is all wrong.
Store-bought Skioufikta pasta needs from 5-7 minutes to boil. Nevertheless, in their packages is usually written from 15 to 30 minutes as cooking time. Of course, this cooking time is not the right one for any type of pasta and you should not follow the instructions on the package.
The pasta is ready when they double their size and emerge to the top of the pot.
Cretan Pasta Skioufikta with Xinomizithra
Ingredients:
- 250gr Skioufikta Cretan pasta
- 150gr Xinomyzithra or feta
- 1 Tbsp butter, for the pasta
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted for the Xinomizithra
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 pinch of Salt, for the pasta
- Black pepper, freshly grounded
Instructions:
- Add two pinch of salt in boiling water.
- Boil the pasta for 5-7 min and drain them.
- Use 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil to coat the pasta.
- Crush the fresh white cheese with a fork
- Plate the pasta, add the fresh white cheese on top and
- Pour 1 Tbsp melted butter and freshly grounded black pepper to finish the dish.
- Lunch, Pasta, Recipes
- butter, olive oil, pasta, skioufikta, Xinomizithra
- MEAL: Lunch
- COURSE: Main
- CUISINE: Greek Traditional
- Recipe by: Christine Karagianni
Did you make this recipe? Or are you planning to make it? Let me know in the comments below, tag me on Instagram @freshpiato or show me your photos on Pinterest!
