Saturday, February 27, 2010

Yiayia sauce

Okay, so I have to admit this is one of my all time favorite comfort foods, and I have debated whether or not to post this. I'm pretty sure there is no health benefit to this sauce at all, but boy is it delicious. My grandmother used to make this every time we had dinner at her house when I was younger. For a while it was the only way I ate pasta and it took my mom FOREVER to make this recipe successfully, which is funny because it's literally 2 ingredients but after my grandmother passed we were yiayia sauce-less for while. Come to find out, it is all about the cheese.

Ingredients:
Butter (salted, stick form is the best)
grated Pecorino Romano cheese (and I mean it!, unless you want to be totally unsuccessful grated parmesan as my mom and I did for years, only to end up with a burnt disc of oily cheese bits)
Ziti with lines

For one pound of pasta, melt about 5 tablespoons of butter in a small pot over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and a little bubbly add in about 4 tablespoons of grated Pecorino Romano cheese. I have never measured it out, but by eye the cheese should cover the bottom of the pot generously. Add as much or as little as you want, just make sure if that if you are going for cheesier that you do not add more cheese than butter so that it becomes a pasty goo.

Stir with a fork and let come to a simmer.. It will bubble and foam up, if it gets too foamy, lower the heat a bit. Stir every minute or so with a fork so the cheese doesn't stick and form a disc. Simmer until the cheese is deep dark brown and butter is browned.

Serve immediatly over pasta (ziti if you want to be classic). It's nostalgic, and super yummy but a "sometimes food" as Cookie Monster would say. Yiayia would say if it's what you want, who cares, eat it.

3 comments:

  1. i cant believe you shared this secret with the world!!!!!!

    kidding, the legacy lives forever. this is my favorite

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  2. yo! update this. i know you've been eating since you posted yiayias sauce!

    i passed on a blog award to you!
    http://missmakesalot.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-love-pixies-and-bears-and-ice-cream.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. mmmmm that sounds dangerously delicious and simple. thanks for sharing!
    p.s. found you through the above blog award :)

    ReplyDelete