Skioufichta or Skioufihta is a delicious homemade no-egg pasta with Mizithra cheese and brown butter. Simple and so flavorful!
This traditional Cretan pasta is handmade and firm to the bite (al dente). It's a simple, flour-water pasta recipe made with durum wheat flour. This eggless pasta dough is so flavorful because of the type of flour being used, which adds both flavor and firmness to the dough.
Table Of Contents
The Durum Flour
Durum wheat flour is called Horiatiko in Greece. It is used in making Greek bread, phyllo dough for pies, and other old-fashioned doughs like this one. Durum wheat is a hard wheat rich in gluten. And is the variety of wheat used to make semolina or semolina flour. The difference between Semolina flour and Durum flour is that semolina flour is slightly coarser than durum flour.
Can you use semolina flour instead of durum flour? Sure you can, you will need to adjust the water though. Both flours you can buy at King Arthur's Flours.
What Is Mizithra Cheese
Mizithra cheese is a light cheese made of sheep's and goat's milk cheese whey. It's produced similarly to Ricotta. Mizithra can be found either as a soft cheese or it can be dried and grated. For this recipe, we want dried and grated Mizithra cheese.
The best substitutes for Mizithra cheese are either Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese. Don't try and use Feta cheese because it will be a completely different dish.
OTHER RECIPES WITH MIZITHRA CHEESE:
- Fried Egg Pasta With Mizithra (Tsouhti)
- Sauteed Lamb In White Wine With Mizithra
- Fig And Cheese Tart (with soft Mizithra cheese)
Making Eggless Pasta Dough
The pasta dough for Skioufichta is one of the simplest ones you can make. It's almost the same as flour Gnocchi. To make it...
- Mix flour with salt and olive oil.
- Make a well in the center and gradually add hot water.
- Stir, making folding movements with a fork.
- Knead the dough for 5 minutes by hand.
- Rest for 15 minutes.
- Cut and shape.
The Skioufichta Shape
To shape Skioufichta you need to cut and roll the dough into cords. Then cut them into smaller (about 2 cm /¾-inch) cords and hollow them a bit in the center. This is traditionally done by hand. With the use of the index, middle, and ring fingers you do a swift movement of pressing in and then pull (towards you) to create a hollowed little boat.
That does require some practice to master. Fortunately for us (because I ain't no Skioufichta-shaping master either) there is an easier way. And that is by using a small chopstick to roll them open a bit at the center.
Air-Drying
Skioufichta need to air-dry for a couple of hours (2-3) at room temperature to get firm and better hold their shape while they cook. Make sure you place them on a floured surface (like a large pan or tray) and to also dust some flour on top as well so they won't stick at the bottom or with each other.
Cooking Skioufichta
Once the Skioufichta have air-dried it's time to boil them. But before you do that, you need to toss them in a strainer and shake off the excess flour. After you do this, you can boil them in plenty of hot boiling water seasoned with sea salt (I use coarse) and 2 tablespoons of olive oil (adds flavor and helps the pasta to not stick together).
Cooking Time: As for the cooking time for al dente (firm to the bite) boil Skioufichta for 7-8 minutes. If you prefer soft pasta you can cook for up to 15 minutes. In Greece, some people may cook Skioufichta for up to 20 to 30 minutes but I don't advise you to do that. Overcooked pasta is a common thing in Greece that not everyone appreciates (including me).
Serving
Traditionally, Skioufichta pasta is served with butter and Mizithra cheese. In most cases, it is brown butter or it can be sheep's butter which we use a lot in Greece. This butter is sold clarified with no milk solids in it.
So you can either serve this Mizithra pasta simply with some melted butter or let the melted butter brown (you can follow this easy tutorial on how to brown butter).
As for the Mizithra cheese it needs to be dried and grated Mizithra cheese. If you can't find this cheese where you live see Mizithra substitutes in the text above.
Portions
This browned butter and Mizithra cheese pasta recipe yields two portions. If you double the recipe don't forget to also double the water the pasta cooks in.
Recipe
Skioufichta Pasta With Mizithra Cheese
Ingredients
For The Skioufichta Pasta Dough:
- 250 grams (8.8 ounces) durum wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅔ teaspoon salt
- 150-160 ml boiling hot water
For Boiling The Pasta:
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
To Serve With:
- 50 grams (1.7 ounces) butter
- 6-7 tablespoons grated dry Mizithra cheese
- freshly ground pepper.
Instructions
Prepare The Dough:
- Add the flour, salt, and olive oil to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Make a small well in the center.
- Pour in the water gradually while folding in the flour from the sides using a fork.
- Knead. Once the flour absorbs all the water (you may not need to add all of the water add just enough to form a dough), transfer the dough to a working surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until soft and very smooth.
- Rest. Lightly flour the bottom of the bowl and place the dough back inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
- Cut the dough. Place the dough on a working surface again. A wooden cutting board would be best. Cut the dough into pieces and then shape into 1 cm (¼-inch) long cords. Then cut into 2 cm (¾-inch) pieces.
- Shape. You can shape the pasta either with your hands or with a chopstick. First, roll it to a 2 cm (¾-inch) small cord (because it tends to pull back and become smaller when you cut it). Second, using your index, middle, and ring finger press the small cord right at the center and with a swift movement pull it downwards towards you. Or use a chopstick and roll it open without applying too much pressure. Don't forget to lightly dust some flour on top while you shape the pasta so it won't stick together.
- Air-dry. Place the Skioufichta pasta in a floured pan and lightly flour it on top as well. Allow to air-dry like this for 2-3 hours at room temperature.
Cook The Pasta:
- Bring 2 liters of water to a boil together with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the pasta to a strainer or large sieve and shake to remove excess flour. Then toss it into the boiling water. (While the pasta cooks prepare the butter as mentioned below).
- Boil the pasta over medium-high heat for about 7-8 minutes for al dente or up to 15 minutes if you prefer it soft.
- Transfer the pasta to a bowl plate using a slotted spoon.
Prepare The Butter (Optional):
- For extra flavor, we are using browned butter here. However, you can simply use melted butter instead.
- Add butter to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low.
- Melt and cook the butter for a couple of minutes until you start to see brown bits at the bottom of the saucepan and it starts to smell nutty.
- Let it sit for a minute or 2 and then carefully pour it into a small bowl leaving the burned bits in the saucepan.
Serve:
- Pour the butter all over the cooked pasta, add also 2 tablespoons of Mizithra cheese, and stir well to combine.
- Serve on individual plates with the remaining cheese on top and some freshly ground pepper.
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