Hungry yet? A deep dive into the #fetapasta phenomenon
March 6, 2021 8:37 AM Subscribe
What Makes a Food Go Viral? Inside the Explosive Popularity of TikTok’s Feta Pasta (Vogue) - see also: The TikTok Feta Effect: Cheese suppliers have been swept up in the video recipe phenomenon known as baked feta pasta. (New York Times)
...and if you’re curious about the dark side of viral recipes, you may want to read this (on an empty stomach, preferably, or with some antacids handy):
The Absurd Logic of Internet Recipe Hacks (The Atlantic)
(And if you do have a weak stomach, do not under any circumstance google "countertop nachos" or "ultimate nacho hack". You’re welcome.)
...and if you’re curious about the dark side of viral recipes, you may want to read this (on an empty stomach, preferably, or with some antacids handy):
The Absurd Logic of Internet Recipe Hacks (The Atlantic)
(And if you do have a weak stomach, do not under any circumstance google "countertop nachos" or "ultimate nacho hack". You’re welcome.)
I made this, but I've been existing on pasta for the last year. It was really good!
posted by nevercalm at 8:42 AM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by nevercalm at 8:42 AM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
My daughter found a slightly elevated version of this and it was great! I saw that a friend added some prosciutto and I’m dying to do the same.
posted by pearlybob at 8:58 AM on March 6, 2021
posted by pearlybob at 8:58 AM on March 6, 2021
I made this! It was good and no better or worse than a hundred other pasta recipes. Very easy, but again, so are a hundred other pasta recipes. It has a very "stuff you cook in your first apartment in college" vibe, maybe that's why it's viral.
posted by escabeche at 9:05 AM on March 6, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by escabeche at 9:05 AM on March 6, 2021 [9 favorites]
There's probably a post in me about this, but... This feels like a thing running sympathetic to a series of roasting tin cookbooks that have gone bonkers via word of mouth. They're all single oven dish recipes - certainly there have been books based on this hook before, but these have very modern, current food trend focused ingredients, and crucially the recipes are all really fucking good. I think the simplicity of these feta videos hits a similar deep appeal - i love cooking but being able to make lots of delicious meals by just chucking a few things into a dish, sticking it in the oven and forgetting about it has transformed my attitude to how much effort is worth it.
posted by ominous_paws at 9:05 AM on March 6, 2021 [20 favorites]
posted by ominous_paws at 9:05 AM on March 6, 2021 [20 favorites]
I made the pasta recipe too. It was very good, but what truly made it stand out was the amazing effort:output ratio. Most pasta sauces are easy but still can theoretically be fucked up. This one is just impossible to mess up, and is not only delicious but visually beautiful and colorful. You feel like you made some very fancy shit and beat the system!
posted by windbox at 9:12 AM on March 6, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by windbox at 9:12 AM on March 6, 2021 [9 favorites]
bitteschoen: ""ultimate nacho hack"."
Put it on a plate son, you'll enjoy it more.
posted by chavenet at 9:29 AM on March 6, 2021 [7 favorites]
Put it on a plate son, you'll enjoy it more.
posted by chavenet at 9:29 AM on March 6, 2021 [7 favorites]
There's no way this beats the Perfect One-Pot, Six-Pan, 10-Wok, 25-Baking Sheet Dinner
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:40 AM on March 6, 2021 [28 favorites]
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:40 AM on March 6, 2021 [28 favorites]
"Nacho hack" sounds like a coughing fit that happens when a chip fragment goes down the wrong pipe.
But it's unsurprising that something like the feta pasta recipe would get popular.
Easy and satisfying! Photogenic! Seeing people without much cooking experience get excited about making a thing like that is alright.
The Vogue piece dredged up a childhood recollection of a cookie recipe going "viral" by means of photocopy in the olden times...I'm pretty sure an elementary school teacher of mine handed out copies to the class because it was a recipe "everyone's talking about." I want to say it was for "Mrs. Field's cookies" or something like that.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:50 AM on March 6, 2021 [6 favorites]
But it's unsurprising that something like the feta pasta recipe would get popular.
Easy and satisfying! Photogenic! Seeing people without much cooking experience get excited about making a thing like that is alright.
The Vogue piece dredged up a childhood recollection of a cookie recipe going "viral" by means of photocopy in the olden times...I'm pretty sure an elementary school teacher of mine handed out copies to the class because it was a recipe "everyone's talking about." I want to say it was for "Mrs. Field's cookies" or something like that.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:50 AM on March 6, 2021 [6 favorites]
Sounds like a variant of the overpriced cookie recipe revenge story
posted by aubilenon at 10:02 AM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 10:02 AM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
That feta pasta looks pretty good; definitely something I will try, although I may tweak the recipe some. And to be honest, that nacho hack looked pretty good too; the only disgusting part was the way she got nacho cheese all over her hands and then proceeded to do everything else without washing them. Yes, I do like chitlins; why do you ask?
posted by TedW at 10:15 AM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by TedW at 10:15 AM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oh yeah, aubilenon!
I remember it had some kind of chain-lettery backstory and it was definitely a variant of that. Thanks!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:20 AM on March 6, 2021
I remember it had some kind of chain-lettery backstory and it was definitely a variant of that. Thanks!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:20 AM on March 6, 2021
I found the recipe too cheesy (I know, how is that even possible??) but better with the tomatoes doubled. I will definitely make it again, but I'll add some sliced mini sweet peppers and maybe mushrooms to the mix. That's assuming I can ever find any block feta again, though I've seen versions using Cotija cheese and might try that instead.
I love a good easy recipe, and I have warmly welcomed the advent of the Sheet Pan Dinner (which translate pretty well into Air Fryer Dinners, if you have one with enough room/multiple racks).
I also have warm fond feelings for the viral recipes of the 80s and 90s, even the cringe ones like Better Than Sex Cake and (beloathed on my old haunt alt.folklore.urban) $250 NEIMAN MARCUS COOKIES!!1!!1!. I grew up in a small town, with parents who were skilled and adventurous cooks but they were largely dependent on PBS cooking shows and magazines to discover the new hotness. Some of them were a swing and a miss, but we definitely had some favorite family meals that came from that sneakernet of viral recipes.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:25 AM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
I love a good easy recipe, and I have warmly welcomed the advent of the Sheet Pan Dinner (which translate pretty well into Air Fryer Dinners, if you have one with enough room/multiple racks).
I also have warm fond feelings for the viral recipes of the 80s and 90s, even the cringe ones like Better Than Sex Cake and (beloathed on my old haunt alt.folklore.urban) $250 NEIMAN MARCUS COOKIES!!1!!1!. I grew up in a small town, with parents who were skilled and adventurous cooks but they were largely dependent on PBS cooking shows and magazines to discover the new hotness. Some of them were a swing and a miss, but we definitely had some favorite family meals that came from that sneakernet of viral recipes.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:25 AM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
Well, you know the old saying - everything's betta with feta!
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:35 AM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:35 AM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Everthing's β with feta
posted by aubilenon at 10:38 AM on March 6, 2021 [27 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 10:38 AM on March 6, 2021 [27 favorites]
Two years ago, in the midst of a brutal Finnish winter, Häyrinen was hungry. She craved some cozy baked feta, but a straight block of cheese wasn’t exactly a balanced meal.
I mean, you do you but I think there's room for disagreement on this point.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:40 AM on March 6, 2021 [46 favorites]
I mean, you do you but I think there's room for disagreement on this point.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:40 AM on March 6, 2021 [46 favorites]
I will make exactly zero complaints about this because the feta recipe is freaking phenomenal. I add a bunch more garlic and some shallots and it's just so, so good. My family would eat it multiple times per week but yeah, getting the feta isn't easy.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:51 AM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:51 AM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
Ok hang on, I did click on the counter nachos and now I need someone to explain to me if that was a comedy routine? It was comedy, right? She wasn't serious? Please say she wasn't serious.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:56 AM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:56 AM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
Two years ago, in the midst of a brutal Finnish winter, Häyrinen was hungry. She craved some cozy baked feta, but a straight block of cheese wasn’t exactly a balanced meal.
I mean, you do you but I think there's room for disagreement on this point.
“Balance is overrated”. —Karl Wallenda
posted by TedW at 11:08 AM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
I mean, you do you but I think there's room for disagreement on this point.
“Balance is overrated”. —Karl Wallenda
posted by TedW at 11:08 AM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
Nacho hack influencer needs to be told about this technology we have called "bowls". They may seem like a new thing, but they have a history that goes back thousands of years!
posted by gimonca at 11:12 AM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by gimonca at 11:12 AM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Whelp, now I know that People On TikTok Are Biting Martinelli's Apple Juice Bottles Because It Sounds Like Eating An Apple.
posted by DrMew at 11:31 AM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by DrMew at 11:31 AM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
I think it's interesting that a decade ago we had celebrity chefs worried that young people had forgotten how to cook.
It seems that now we're worried they've forgotten what to cook.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 11:43 AM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
It seems that now we're worried they've forgotten what to cook.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 11:43 AM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
Let me know when it gets to the point where they've forgotten who to cook.
posted by 7segment at 11:49 AM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by 7segment at 11:49 AM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
Block feta is somehow always hard to find here, like it's in 50% of the supermarkets 50% of the time and the rest of the time I have to pay 3x for pre-crumbled. I wonder if the supply chain for it runs a little uneven in general.
The nacho hack I was hoping would end with Ethiopian-style scooping right off the table.
posted by joeyh at 12:03 PM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
The nacho hack I was hoping would end with Ethiopian-style scooping right off the table.
posted by joeyh at 12:03 PM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
FetaFilter?
posted by chavenet at 12:12 PM on March 6, 2021 [14 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 12:12 PM on March 6, 2021 [14 favorites]
FetaMelter!
posted by oulipian at 12:14 PM on March 6, 2021 [19 favorites]
posted by oulipian at 12:14 PM on March 6, 2021 [19 favorites]
MeltaFeta!!
posted by chavenet at 12:16 PM on March 6, 2021 [11 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 12:16 PM on March 6, 2021 [11 favorites]
Block feta is somehow always hard to find here, like it's in 50% of the supermarkets 50% of the time and the rest of the time I have to pay 3x for pre-crumbled. I wonder if the supply chain for it runs a little uneven in general.
This is just wrong. Greece faces many issues, but at least when you go to the supermarket, you can return with block feta for five (for your household of two).
posted by ersatz at 12:25 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
This is just wrong. Greece faces many issues, but at least when you go to the supermarket, you can return with block feta for five (for your household of two).
posted by ersatz at 12:25 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
All I want is a recipe without a video or twenty pages of pre-game commentary. I know clicks are where it's at, but....
posted by mightshould at 12:41 PM on March 6, 2021 [12 favorites]
posted by mightshould at 12:41 PM on March 6, 2021 [12 favorites]
A recipe without a video or twenty pages of pre-game commentary. I did this one, it was fine.
posted by automatic cabinet at 12:47 PM on March 6, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by automatic cabinet at 12:47 PM on March 6, 2021 [10 favorites]
Well, this explains why a few weeks ago the store was out (!) of whole feta blocks when I wanted to make the delicious “almost saag paneer” with feta. I’ll be keeping an extra in the freezer now.
posted by klausman at 1:00 PM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by klausman at 1:00 PM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Greek feta is great, but if you haven't tried it, Bulgarian feta is awesome (less crumbly, more creamy, so depending on what you're using it for it may not have the texture you need, but oh man it's good).
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:11 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:11 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
mightshould: Dump a block of feta and a good amount of cherry tomatos and garlic in a pan. Drizzle olive oil. Bake until soft. Roast a bit to carmelize. Mash it all together into a uniform consistency sauce. Add cooked pasta and fresh basil. Season to taste.
posted by joeyh at 1:25 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by joeyh at 1:25 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
Well, you know the old saying - everything's betta with feta!
And not a moment too soon! See previous post: Zebra mussels? In my moss balls?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 2:37 PM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
And not a moment too soon! See previous post: Zebra mussels? In my moss balls?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 2:37 PM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
The counter bit doesn't bother me about the "nacho hack." I've kneaded enough dough to appreciate that technique.
No, it's the bile-yellow base that makes the whole thing unappetizing.
posted by explosion at 3:02 PM on March 6, 2021 [3 favorites]
No, it's the bile-yellow base that makes the whole thing unappetizing.
posted by explosion at 3:02 PM on March 6, 2021 [3 favorites]
I just made and ate the recipe. I live above a farmer's market with a cheese store so a feta block wasn't a bottleneck. 2 flats of cherry tomatoes, half pound of cheese, one spoon prechopped garlic in the bake (9" sq pan, 400F 30 minutes) and two spoons garlic into the post bake mix, 16 oz shell pasta, (and basil and s&p) I can say this was delicious.
posted by panhopticon at 3:41 PM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by panhopticon at 3:41 PM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
Came for a recipe that doesn't require me to watch a goddamn video, was not disappointed.
posted by medusa at 4:22 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by medusa at 4:22 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
This feels like a thing running sympathetic to a series of roasting tin cookbooks that have gone bonkers via word of mouth
Hey ominious_paws:
What are the names of some of those cookbooks? (If you don't get around to making a post)
posted by rtimmel at 4:34 PM on March 6, 2021 [9 favorites]
Hey ominious_paws:
What are the names of some of those cookbooks? (If you don't get around to making a post)
posted by rtimmel at 4:34 PM on March 6, 2021 [9 favorites]
Damn, is THIS why I haven't been able to find block feta for weeks now? I thought there might still be a supply chain issue since the ice storms, but apparently I am being thwarted by a feta fad!
posted by blurker at 4:53 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by blurker at 4:53 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
rtimmel: "The Roasting Tin" and variations "The (quick, green, etc) Roasting Tin"
posted by bashing rocks together at 5:00 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by bashing rocks together at 5:00 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
Rtimmel - author is Rukmini Iyer, she's got The Roasting Tin, The Green Roasting Tin, Quick Roasting Tin and Roasting Tin Around The World. I'm non-veggie and Green still might be my favourite, I think Quick and Round The World might edge out the original otherwise but they're all smashers. I've converted so many people to these and never had bad feedback.
posted by ominous_paws at 5:04 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by ominous_paws at 5:04 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
Damn, is THIS why I haven't been able to find block feta for weeks now?
It's freaky as hell and it totally is.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:04 PM on March 6, 2021
It's freaky as hell and it totally is.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:04 PM on March 6, 2021
Incidentally, I made this for dinner tonight. It was the third time in two weeks I've made it.
It feels and tastes fancy and complicated but isn't. If you put basil on it, it's also pretty.
If you don't, well, dim the lights.
It's a little like puttanesca -- the effort to payoff (as someone said upthread) is just really nice when you want something good, rich, halfway healthy, and easy af.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:15 PM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
It feels and tastes fancy and complicated but isn't. If you put basil on it, it's also pretty.
If you don't, well, dim the lights.
It's a little like puttanesca -- the effort to payoff (as someone said upthread) is just really nice when you want something good, rich, halfway healthy, and easy af.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:15 PM on March 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
I made this adding chopped onions, whole garlic cloves and oregano. SO GOOD.
The second time, I added black olives after it came out of the oven.
A friend told me he added chili flakes; can't wait to try that.
posted by Pallas Athena at 6:19 PM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
The second time, I added black olives after it came out of the oven.
A friend told me he added chili flakes; can't wait to try that.
posted by Pallas Athena at 6:19 PM on March 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
klausman, I don't know if stores carry Mexican-style cheeses where you're at, but fwiw queso fresco makes at least as good a paneer substitute as feta would.
posted by 7segment at 6:31 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by 7segment at 6:31 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
Ok hang on, I did click on the counter nachos and now I need someone to explain to me if that was a comedy routine? It was comedy, right? She wasn't serious? Please say she wasn't serious.
Virtually all the dumb shit you see on the internet exists because dumb shit is greatly rewarded by the almighty algorithm. Nobody is really thinks counter nachos are a good idea, nobody really thought tide pods were a yummy treat, it's all grist for the schadenfreude mill.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 7:11 PM on March 6, 2021 [3 favorites]
Virtually all the dumb shit you see on the internet exists because dumb shit is greatly rewarded by the almighty algorithm. Nobody is really thinks counter nachos are a good idea, nobody really thought tide pods were a yummy treat, it's all grist for the schadenfreude mill.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 7:11 PM on March 6, 2021 [3 favorites]
The nacho thing was very aggravating for me, though the tortilla cone was nice.
Luckily I discovered that the same page also has a "recipe" for bulk ramen in your bathtub (your feet are one of the utensils) so I'm gonna chalk this up as low brow satire.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 7:28 PM on March 6, 2021
Luckily I discovered that the same page also has a "recipe" for bulk ramen in your bathtub (your feet are one of the utensils) so I'm gonna chalk this up as low brow satire.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 7:28 PM on March 6, 2021
A friend told me he added chili flakes; can't wait to try that.
A judicious sprinkling of chili flakes (depending on one's tolerance for heat) improves most food, I've found. It doesn't have to be a macho painfest thing at all, it only needs to add a lovely slightly-detectable warmth to the dish. Do not fear the chili; like fire itself one needs to learn to harness it for good rather than evil.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:29 PM on March 6, 2021 [6 favorites]
A judicious sprinkling of chili flakes (depending on one's tolerance for heat) improves most food, I've found. It doesn't have to be a macho painfest thing at all, it only needs to add a lovely slightly-detectable warmth to the dish. Do not fear the chili; like fire itself one needs to learn to harness it for good rather than evil.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:29 PM on March 6, 2021 [6 favorites]
Feta is delicious on everything. There's a reason Greece is the #1 cheese-eating country in Europe (France is #2).
posted by subdee at 7:56 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by subdee at 7:56 PM on March 6, 2021 [5 favorites]
I've been seeing references to this recipe AND having difficulty ordering feta in my groceries and never connected to two. Next feta block I manage to score I'm going to use for this recipe now.
posted by gingerbeer at 8:26 PM on March 6, 2021
posted by gingerbeer at 8:26 PM on March 6, 2021
I feel totally alienated by this thread. I STRONGLY disapprove of breaking down feta to this extent. I've watched a video of a lady making this and it looks excellent right up until the beautiful tomatoes and cheese are squashed into a milky pulp. Let feta be whole and slightly browned on top.
Anyway between Brexit and the pandemic the cheese isle at my local supermarket is empty 95% of the time so I may just be bitter.
posted by Braeburn at 11:16 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
Anyway between Brexit and the pandemic the cheese isle at my local supermarket is empty 95% of the time so I may just be bitter.
posted by Braeburn at 11:16 PM on March 6, 2021 [2 favorites]
Nthing the "this recipe is delicious!" comments. And we are absolutely not having a block feta shortage here in NZ. Is it because we're in a cheese glut due to supply chain issues (i.e. getting the cheese out to other markets) or because Kiwis aren't into TikTok? I'll never know.
posted by rednikki at 12:32 AM on March 7, 2021
posted by rednikki at 12:32 AM on March 7, 2021
The nacho thing....it could all go in a fucking bowl, and hey I like my nachos fucking hot you idiot, fucking hell I hate viral nonsense!
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:06 AM on March 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:06 AM on March 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
I love Internet food trends because it feels like we're all pausing in our busy takedowns to share a meal.
But I will note that if you put that much feta on anything, or mix pasta with almost all forms of cheese, it's just going to taste good. In my no longer professional opinion on trying to get recipes/food stories to go viral, a good chunk of the formula is "take an ingredient everyone would love more of and increase it beyond what everyone usually uses."
Also I am sad for everyone who doesn't have a store with a deli counter with slabs of various fetas.
posted by warriorqueen at 6:27 AM on March 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
But I will note that if you put that much feta on anything, or mix pasta with almost all forms of cheese, it's just going to taste good. In my no longer professional opinion on trying to get recipes/food stories to go viral, a good chunk of the formula is "take an ingredient everyone would love more of and increase it beyond what everyone usually uses."
Also I am sad for everyone who doesn't have a store with a deli counter with slabs of various fetas.
posted by warriorqueen at 6:27 AM on March 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
A judicious sprinkling of chili flakes (depending on one's tolerance for heat) improves most food, I've found. It doesn't have to be a macho painfest thing at all, it only needs to add a lovely slightly-detectable warmth to the dish.
Relying on this principle, I learned from my mother to add a dash of hot sauce to my vinaigrette recipe.
posted by Emmy Rae at 11:02 AM on March 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
Relying on this principle, I learned from my mother to add a dash of hot sauce to my vinaigrette recipe.
posted by Emmy Rae at 11:02 AM on March 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
and hey I like my nachos fucking hot you idiot
Yeah, to me nachos are whole tortilla chips with grated cheese baked on in the oven, not some kind of cold & toxic counter mush.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 1:35 PM on March 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
Yeah, to me nachos are whole tortilla chips with grated cheese baked on in the oven, not some kind of cold & toxic counter mush.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 1:35 PM on March 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
Nachos on half-sheet or quarter-sheet pans bring us all together, then? You could line the pans up to cover a counter.
I saw the nacho thing on a dining table covered with foil, and sure it was silly but it seemed to be making a bunch of tweens happy, abd I hope the floor was easy to mop.
posted by clew at 2:51 PM on March 7, 2021
I saw the nacho thing on a dining table covered with foil, and sure it was silly but it seemed to be making a bunch of tweens happy, abd I hope the floor was easy to mop.
posted by clew at 2:51 PM on March 7, 2021
I recently blew my husband's mind with my family's nacho technique: in a shallow baking dish, spread out your warmed beans (refried preferred, but it also works if you simmer black or pinto beans with a bit of garlic for a while then mash them a bit). Distribute other toppings (meat, sautéed minced mushrooms, seasoned mashed tofu, whatever) over the beans then sprinkle with a generous layer of a melting cheese. Now take your tortilla chips and arrange as many as you can fit vertically (sticking up, on-end, like broken glass on top of a wall [if you live in a city] or like Hasselback potatoes otherwise) stuck into the base of beans-cheese-and-stuff, then sprinkle with more melting cheese (because why not) and put into a 325-350F oven until all the cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and guacamole.
This avoids the dilemma between "do I take the time to make sure each chip has an adequate distribution of toppings" and "am I lazy enough to put up with the last chips in the 'nachos' being almost bare of toppings because I did them as a batch?"
posted by Lexica at 4:19 PM on March 7, 2021 [9 favorites]
This avoids the dilemma between "do I take the time to make sure each chip has an adequate distribution of toppings" and "am I lazy enough to put up with the last chips in the 'nachos' being almost bare of toppings because I did them as a batch?"
posted by Lexica at 4:19 PM on March 7, 2021 [9 favorites]
I've been making a variation on the feta pasta that, yes, I got from TikTok - the version I've been doing involves roasting both tomatoes and sweet peppers with your feta (I use half a block) and garlic/oil/spices/etc, then after roasting you toss with cucumber, red onion, and olives to make a salad. I like pasta too, but y'all, this salad is SO fresh and crunchy and good. And the combination somehow tastes very different from other roasted or feta-based salads I've had in the past.
It's definitely going to be a part of my regular rotation as soon as block feta is more widely available again. I tried it with pre-crumbled feta and for whatever reason it's just not the same. I think the crumbles are too small and evenly dispersed.
posted by mosst at 7:03 AM on March 8, 2021
It's definitely going to be a part of my regular rotation as soon as block feta is more widely available again. I tried it with pre-crumbled feta and for whatever reason it's just not the same. I think the crumbles are too small and evenly dispersed.
posted by mosst at 7:03 AM on March 8, 2021
I bought all the stuff to make this and then never actually did, instead using the feta with some shakshouka and slicing the tomatoes in half and tossing some in at the end of making some thai fried rice.
I do not regret my decision.
posted by mikesch at 2:21 PM on March 8, 2021
I do not regret my decision.
posted by mikesch at 2:21 PM on March 8, 2021
Made it, didn't like it. The end.
posted by seawallrunner at 9:47 PM on March 8, 2021
posted by seawallrunner at 9:47 PM on March 8, 2021
Some of these "recipes" remind me of the microwave "pizza" I used to make as a kid: white bread, ketchup, and a thick layer of sprinkle-can parmesan microwaved on high until the "cheese" starts to burn. (If you replace the parm with Velveeta, you basically have St. Louis style pizza.)
That countertop nacho thing looks like a pile of vomit. There is something to be said for maintaining the integrity of each ingredient.
posted by slogger at 7:22 AM on March 9, 2021
That countertop nacho thing looks like a pile of vomit. There is something to be said for maintaining the integrity of each ingredient.
posted by slogger at 7:22 AM on March 9, 2021
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posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 8:42 AM on March 6, 2021 [21 favorites]