00:00Hello, this is Chef John from FoodWishes.com with new and improved baked feta pasta.
00:09That's right, there is no mystery why this easy, delicious recipe went viral.
00:13And while I thought it was great, I also thought there was a couple ways to improve it.
00:18And by the way, you'll probably never guess where this recipe was invented, and I'll share that later.
00:23But for now, I'll give you one clue. I will tell you before we finish.
00:28So with that, let's go ahead and get started by drizzling a whole bunch of olive oil into our baking pan,
00:33which could also be a glass baking dish.
00:36And then to the oil, I'm going to add a whole bunch of finely minced garlic.
00:39And then we'll take a spoon and give that a mix.
00:42And this step here is one of the new improvements, since most people toss it in once the feta is cooked.
00:48But I think the results are much better if that's infused into the oil while this bakes.
00:52And once that's set, we'll add two pints of cherry tomatoes, just like in the original recipe.
00:59And I went with half Cherokee purples and half red grape tomatoes.
01:03But any color, any style will work, as long as they're nice and sweet.
01:07And that's it. We'll give that a quick toss with our spatula, until they're nicely coated in that garlicky oil.
01:14At which point we'll season this very simply with some kosher salt, as well as some freshly ground black pepper.
01:20And we do not need a lot of salt here, since feta is a fairly salty cheese.
01:25But I generally find we need at least one big extra pinch.
01:29And speaking of feta, once we've given that a quick stir, we'll make a space in the center.
01:34And we'll transfer in a couple pieces of the milkiest, creamiest feta we can find.
01:39Okay, I love the dense, firm, salty version for some things.
01:42But for this, something creamier and mild is best.
01:44And instead of using 8 ounces, I'm actually going to use 10.
01:49And I find that a couple extra ounces makes a big difference in the final sauce.
01:53So I think that's another improvement, as is this next secret ingredient,
01:57which would be to drizzle our cheese with some balsamic vinegar,
02:01which is going to add another very interesting sweet and sour element,
02:04which I think really elevates the flavor of the tomatoes.
02:07And then I'm going to finish up with a nice pinch of dry oregano,
02:11as well as some red chili flakes for a little heat.
02:14And of course, those things are optional, and you get to add whatever you want.
02:18I mean, you are, after all, the great agarbo of your feta's cargo.
02:23But unlike her, I do not think this cheese wants to be left alone.
02:27But anyway, whether you add that or not,
02:29we'll finish up with a nice big drizzle of olive oil over the top.
02:33And that's it.
02:34Our feta and friends are now ready to transfer into the center of a 450-degree oven
02:39for about 30 to 35 minutes,
02:42or until our tomatoes are roasted very soft and our cheese is browned.
02:46And it looks like this.
02:48Oh yeah, that is gorgeous.
02:51And it's ready to stir into a sauce and then toss with our pasta,
02:54which we need to cook when this is about 7 or 8 minutes away from being done.
02:58And my favorite shape for this is something called cavatappi,
03:02which is basically a cavatelli that's hollow.
03:05But literally any shape pasta will work.
03:08And we will cook that in salted water according to the directions.
03:12But very important, when it's almost done,
03:15let's ladle out about a half a cup of the pasta water,
03:18since we will use that to adjust the texture of our sauce later.
03:21And again, we want to make sure we time the cooking of the pasta
03:24for right before our big feta comes out of the oven.
03:28That way our pasta will be freshly drained and nice and hot when we stir it in.
03:33And while our pasta is draining for a minute,
03:35we will grab a fork and we will smash and stir this into a sauce.
03:39And normally I really dislike tomato skins in my tomato sauce,
03:43but I'm happy to report for whatever reason,
03:45they're almost imperceivable in this.
03:47And even though visually you can still see a few here and there,
03:50texturally speaking, they pretty much disappear.
03:54And then what we'll do once our sauce looks like this
03:56is toss in a whole bunch of freshly sliced basil,
03:59as well as two or three tablespoons of our reserved pasta water,
04:03followed by our still very, very hot macaroni.
04:07And then we'll take a spatula or a spoon,
04:09or in my case a spoonula,
04:11and we'll mix everything together
04:13until those pieces of pasta are evenly coated
04:15and looking beautiful.
04:17And depending on the texture,
04:19you may want to add another splash or two of the pasta water,
04:22which I definitely did here.
04:24And by adjusting with that,
04:26we're going to keep everything nice and saucy.
04:28Okay, so be sure to stir some of that in as you see fit.
04:32And keep in mind,
04:33after we're done stirring this,
04:35as we go to serve it up,
04:36it's going to continue to absorb the moisture.
04:38So it's actually totally fine,
04:40if at this point it seems a little bit saucy.
04:42But anyway, mine was feeling and looking perfect.
04:46And once it is,
04:46we'll grab a fork and give this a taste,
04:49and add a little more salt if we need.
04:51But mine was tasting exactly how I wanted.
04:54And by that I mean it was incredibly delicious,
04:57with a perfect balance between the sweet and the tangy,
05:00as well as that beautifully briny saltiness
05:02that the feta adds.
05:04So I could not have been happier with how that came out.
05:07And I went ahead and cleaned off the pan
05:09and sprinkled over a little more basil,
05:11since I had to take some contractually obligated pictures,
05:14after which I served up a nice big portion in a bowl.
05:17And that, my friends,
05:18is every bit as tasty and easy as the original version.
05:21Except what I consider those slight improvements
05:23that I pointed out,
05:25where I cooking the garlic in the oil under the tomatoes,
05:28and using more cheese,
05:30and topping it with that drizzle of balsamic vinegar,
05:32and then cooking it for a shorter time,
05:35in a hotter oven than most recipes call for.
05:38Oh, and before we finish,
05:40I should finish by telling you,
05:41the person that invented this was finished.
05:44Or so I've been told, by the finish.
05:46And that's it, now I can finish,
05:48by saying I really do hope you give this a try soon.
05:52So please follow the links below for the ingredient amounts,
05:55a printable written recipe,
05:57and much more info as usual.
05:58And as always, enjoy.
06:03Oh, boy.
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