I want you all to know something before I post this. I fought doing this, I fought posting this “recipe” as a blog for today but apparently a lot of people wanted to hear what I did when I created my own spin on the feta/tomato pasta that went viral all over the interwebs. The answer to that is honestly the bare minimum, but alas, here we are. My changes to the dish feel pretty self-explanatory to me but I guess to the folks on the internet butchering this recipe, they are not. Anytime I came across someone complaining about how nasty the recipe was I noticed two commonalities. 1. They didn’t season it. They took the recipe at face value & expected it to be full of flavor & goodness. No. 2. They treated the recipe like it was Italian NOT like the CLEARLY EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN DISH THAT IT IS!!! All of that to say I treated the dish with these two things in mind & people act like I deserve a Michelin star haha.

I don’t. Let’s make that clear. I don’t deserve a Michelin star.

Anyway….

Better Viral Feta Pasta

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 30-35 Minutes

Total Time: 40-45 Minutes

Ingredients:

-1/2 Medium Yellow Onion - Diced

-2 Cloves Garlic - Minced

-2 Pints of Cherry Tomatoes

-8 Oz. Block of Feta Cheese

-1 Lbs. Noodles Of Choice (Something Meant For Thick Sauces Like Elbows or Ziti)

-1/2 Cup Good Quality Olive Oil

-3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme (Leaves Only)

-1 Sprig Rosemary

-1 Lemon

-1 1/2 Teaspoons Oregano

-1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

-Fresh Basil

-Salt

-Pepper

Instructions:

-Preheat your oven to 400º.

-In a casserole dish place in the cherry tomatoes (washed).

-Toss tomatoes in just under the entirety of your 1/2 cup of olive oil.

-Top tomatoes with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic, & oregano.

-Place your block of feta in the middle of the pan so it’s touching the bottom, surrounded by the tomatoes.

-Pour remainder of olive oil over feta.

-Pepper the feta & place the sprig of rosemary on top.

-Slice your lemon in half & place it, rind down, in the opposite corners of the pan.

-Place pan in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

-In a pot boil your pasta of choice until al dente, strain & set aside.

-When you pull the pan out of the oven remove the sprig of rosemary & the lemons. The rosemary can be discarded, the lemons will be used.

-With a broad spoon begin smashing the tomatoes & spreading the cheese.

-Once all tomatoes are properly smashed squeeze the juice from both halves of the lemon over the entirety of the pan & add in the pasta.

-Mix thoroughly until smooth.

-Serve & top with fresh basil.

Trying something new today! Not going to write an extensive blog in front of my recipe because I absolutely hate when people do that! It’s like get to the point already!!!!!

RYE CABBAGE ROLL RAVIOLI IN A LIGHT TOMATO SAUCE

Serves: 6ish

INGREDIENTS:

RAVIOLI FILLING:

1-1 & 1/2 Pounds Corned Beef (Cooked)
1 Head of Cabbage (Steamed or Boiled)
1/4 Cup Spicy Brown Mustard

RAVIOLI DOUGH:

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour plus some for dusting
2 Large Eggs
6 Large Egg Yolks
Pinch of Salt
1 Tablespoon of Ground Caraway Seed
1 Teaspoon of Ground Yellow Mustard Seed
1 Teaspoon of Ground Brown Mustard Seed
SAUCE:
1 8oz. Can of Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 Cup Beef Stock
1 Teaspoon of Yellow Curry Powder
2 Bay Leaves
1 & 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander
2 Teaspoons of Ground Yellow Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Clove
1 Teaspoon Crushed Rosemary
1 Tablespoon of Tarragon
2 Teaspoons of Thyme
Dash of Ginger
Pinch of Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to Taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Created a well on a clean workspace with your all-purpose flour. Fill well with all of the eggs & egg yolks as well as your salt, ground caraway seed, & both types of ground mustard seed.
With a fork, incorporate the egg/spice mixture into the flour slowly. When it gets too thick for the fork switch to your hands. Kneed dough until all ingredients are incorporated & mixed thoroughly. If the dough starts to crack or is too dry, wet your hands with water & continue to kneed. If the dough is too wet of is sticking to the workspace, dust the area with flour & kneed until it’s the desired consistency.
Once your dough is properly combined wrap it in plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least one hour.
-ONE HOUR LATER
In a food processor combine equal parts corned beef & cabbage with your spicy brown mustard. Pulse until minced thoroughly, stop before you make it into a paste. Make sure all parts are combined well throughout & no large pieces remain. Set aside in a bowl.
Remove pasta dough from refrigerator & take off the plastic wrap. If it’s dried out a little don’t be afraid to kneed in a little water.
Scatter flour on your counter top & cut off a portion of your dough, this should be about a cups worth. On dusted surface, roll out dough til thin, if you have a pasta press around a 3-4 in thickness.
Cut pasta dough into desired shape, circles, squares, triangles, whatever you want but make them big enough to hold the filling. I personally use a ravioli tray for this, it just makes the process easier.
On one piece of cut dough place about a half tablespoon of the corned beef/cabbage filling in the center. Wet the edges of the dough with water, around the filling & top with another piece of cut pasta dough or fold one in half. Crimp the edges of the dough together. Dust with flour to prevent them from sticking together & set aside.
Repeat the above step until you run out of filling or run out of dough.
Fill a large pot with water & a splash of olive oil & bring it to a boil.
While your water is boiling, in a medium sized sauce pan combine your tomatoes, beef stock, tarragon, curry powder, bay leaves, coriander, mustard, clove, rosemary, ginger, thyme, nutmeg, salt, & pepper & whatever else goes into the sauce listed above that I’m sure I forgot & bring to a low boil. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Put your ravioli into the pot of boiling water & cook until they’re your desired level of softness. Then strain them into a colander.
In a bowl toss ravioli gently with your tomato sauce & serve!

Recipe: Better Viral Feta Pasta

Recipe: Rye Cabbage Roll Ravioli in a Light Tomato Sauce