The View From Here – This Is Why You Can’t Find Feta Cheese Right Now

My daughter came to us last week in excitement declaring that she was taking over the kitchen to make us dinner.  A recipe made popular on TikTok.

I don’t have TikTok.  I don’t use it or follow it or whatever one does with it.  But apparently you can learn a lot of cool tricks on the social platform.  My kids have tried to teach me a few fun dances.  Most of the time I end up totally embarrassed and I’m pretty sure my kids use that to their advantage.

I never expected my 17 year-old would take over the kitchen – but she did.  And made THIS dish.

It’s simple.  Toss a block of feta cheese, tomatoes (those little grape or cherry tomatoes), and some olive oil together in a pan and throw it in the oven until softened.  Mix it all up with pasta and fresh basil.  Some add crushed red pepper flakes.   Some add garlic.

Super easy and it was actually really, really good!

I think I might try it with cream cheese instead of Feta.  Feta is a little strong for my liking.  Others have complained about the texture.  It’s gritty.  It doesn’t melt that well.  You have to use the right cheese. Greek feta cheese has a creamier texture than feta-style cheese made from cow’s milk.  Mixing in some of the pasta water at the end to help bind it all together.

If you’re looking to try it – good luck finding Feta cheese at the grocery store.  When we were assembling our ingredient list it was really hard to find.  If you’re in search of Feta for something else and wondering why all of a sudden it’s so hard to find – this is why.  Tiktok.  (smile)

Ingredients
2 pints  cherry or grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
1 block (7 ounces / 200 grams) Greek feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces medium-length dried pasta (we used bowtie)
Fresh basil leaves, for serving

• Step 1
  Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
• Step 2
  In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, combine the tomatoes, garlic and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Sprinkle with some salt and toss to coat. Place the feta cheese in the center of the tomatoes and garlic, top with the remaining olive oil, and sprinkle the entire dish with red pepper flakes and a little black pepper. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the garlic has softened and the tomatoes have burst their skins.
• Step 3
  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
• Step 4
  Mash the feta and tomatoes with a fork and mix until evenly combined. Mix the sauce with pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed if it looks a little dry. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. To serve, divide among bowls and top with plenty of basil leaves.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan