Think about the pasta-bilities

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: FEELGOODFOODIE, EVERYTHING_DELISH, THEHUNGERDIARIES
The iconic baked feta pasta.

When hearing about the video-sharing social networking service, TikTok, many people think of teenagers and their ‘silly, robotic’ dancing styles.The number of users on TikTok has skyrocketed since the pandemic, allowing it to become one of the leading social networking apps today.

Prior to COVID-19, the platform generally appealed to teenagers and young adults, but currently more than 30 percent of its users are above the age of 30. TikTok has demonstrated variability in its content, which may range from relationship advice to cleaning hacks to recipes.

As these consecutive, less than a minute media clips flow, the algorithm on the platform best suits the registered user.

Listen live on 1069TheX.com

Therefore, the content begins broad and develops an understanding for its users and narrows its media output based on interests, age brackets, sex, religion, cultural background, and relationship status.

As famous TikTok dancers like Addison Rae and Charli D’Amelio began to establish their careers in the film and television industry, their fanbase (made up of young people) followed.

A slight shift in the popularity of the app amongst an older age demographic allowed for more media spotlight on topics like recipes. 

The historic evolution of recipes transitioned from books, television, hour-long YouTube videos, and finally, a minute-long clip for a single recipe has now been established.

Notably one of the most famous TikTok recipes known right now is Baked Feta Pasta.

Baked Feta Pasta originally began in 2018 by Finnish blogger Jenni Hayrinen. The popularity of the recipe in her country resulted in a shortage in the supply of feta cheese. When the recipe resurfaced on TikTok near the beginning of February, many renditions of it soon launched.

The phenomenon behind the recipe is that it is an easy to prepare, scrumptious meal. The dish made itself ideal for busy students, working moms, and many others seeking a simple yet delicious recipe. The final taste of the pasta dish has been quoted as a great summer meal for picnics and camping.

The total time required for this recipe is around 45 minutes to an hour long, with just 10 minutes of meal preparation required. The final product serves three to four individuals.

Ingredients:

  • 500 grams of cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 4 cloves of garlic (halved)
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • A pinch of kosher salt (amount is based on desire)
  • 340 grams of medium dried pasta (i.e., penne, macaroni, rigatoni, or rotini)
  • Fresh basil leaves, for serving (amount is based on desire)
Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. In a large ovenproof skillet or a medium sized baking dish, add tomatoes, garlic, 60ml of oil and coat with salt.
  3. Place feta cheese in the centre and the remaining olive oil on top.
  4. If desired, sprinkle with any preferred seasonings like red pepper flakes and black pepper.
  5. Bake dish for about 45 minutes, allowing the garlic and tomatoes to soften.
  6. In a large pot of boiling salt water, cook pasta and reserve half a cup of pasta water.
  7. Add cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the main baking dish.
Finally, mash all ingredients, tomatoes, feta cheese with pasta evenly and garnish with basil leaves and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.