Sunday Gravy with yeah right: A Viral Load…Of Pasta!

Hey Hey everyone.

We’re back on Cali time and home from our European world tour!

One of the tougher things about coming home from vacation is the transition back to normal work/life mode.

This was significantly more difficult this time since getting back to reality meant remembering that I step right back into a reality where my car is still totaled, I’m still dealing with significant pain and injuries and I’m in the middle of a settlement case with an accident attorney on my side. 

It was nice to set all that shit aside even if it was just for a week. 

There will be significant coverage of the most recent European excursion in the weeks to come including plenty of food experiences and food porn photos. 

So much fucking cheese!

But first, it’s Gravy time. 

What better way to get back in Sunday Gravy Mode than making something extremely delicious and crazy fucking easy to make?

Plus, it’s another viral food dealie.

Today’s dish was a real thing for a period on whatever sites or platforms viral things happen on. 

Backstory: The baked feta and grape/cherry tomato thing is a “viral” dish created by Finnish blogger Jenni Häyrinen in 2019. “It gained massive popularity on TikTok for its simplicity: baking an 8 oz block of feta with 1-2 pints of grape or cherry tomatoes, some olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes at  400 degrees for 35-40 mins, then tossing with pasta.”

The old internet rumor bullshit mill said that this recipe got so goddamn big and “Viral-y” in Finland that the entire country ran out of feta.

I read this on the internet so you know, got to be truth, yeah?

Since we love the concept of simple, few ingredients and quick and easy, this shit felt like a natural for a Sunday Gravy episode. 

Called baked feta, tomato pasta or some derivation of such we are here to attempt, sample, and describe said dish for your viewing pleasure. 

Hit it!

We start with our cherry tomatoes, about 24 ounces.

Give them a quick rinse and pat them dry. 

Since we’re only using a couple of ingredients today you may want to bust out a couple more shekels to buy the good feta. 

Go on and kick in you cheap bastard. 

During my investigation of this recipe I found the very first time it was posted. The site was in Finnish and when my phone translated here’s what I got.

Ingredient list.

And let’s get a closer look at the translated cooking instructions. This very much amused me.

I still had some leftover real Italian pasta gifted to me by friend of the blog 2 pack.

Let’s get going.

Get those tomatoes into a lubed baking dish. 

Add the feta and some more oil.

I had a small leftover chunk of Boursin garlic herb cheese so I figured we could just drop it in the mix too. Add the salt, pepper and about 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flake. 

Adjust to your preferred heat level. 

You’ll need fresh garlic and basil to add in right after baking the tomato feta thing. 

Mince them up.

While the dish cooks in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes, we will use this time to cook the pasta.

Forty minutes later get the dish out of the oven.

Stir, smush and squish everything around to combine.

Add pasta, the basil and garlic and toss thoroughly.

Plate up already!

Made our now traditional spinach strawberry salad with a basalmic vinaigrette to accompany.

Closer look.

Frequently when I’m trying a recipe for the first time my brain will say something like “This is really fucking interesting” but many times it will also say “There’s no way this can be bad.”

This dish is that exactly. 

It’s fucking delicious. Goddamn flavor bomb it is with that salty tang from the feta and the fresh burst from the tomatoes. 

That last second edition of the fresh garlic and basil really makes this fucker epic. Just the right punch of garlic and the herbal notes of the basil. 

Boom motherfuckers!

This shit got famous for the right reason. 

It’s fantastic. A little side salad, maybe some fresh bread or garlic bread even?

A little vino.

You just outkicked your coverage by a goddamn country mile!

Try it. 

Trust me. 

This will be made again. 

Today’s Fun holidays include: National Pretzel Day, National Help A Horse Day, National South Dakota Day, National Richter Scale Day (as a California resident – fuck you. That shit ain’t funny), and National Audubon Day.

So Many options.

Happy Sunday everyone. We’ll slowly ease back into the regular Sunday Gravy frame of mind eventually.

Be safe and well everyone.

Until next week.