Viral pasta recipes regularly do the rounds on social media. Photo: Getty Images
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https://scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3173565/gigi-hadids-vodka-pasta-rihannas-mac-and-cheese-tiktoks-baked Food & Drink
Gigi Hadid’s vodka pasta, Rihanna’s mac and cheese, TikTok’s baked feta: chefs put viral pasta recipes to the test
- The TikTok-famous baked feta cheese pasta recipe is, cooking experts agree, as good as influencers make it out to be – but what about other viral pasta dishes?
- Rihanna’s mac and cheese has a nice touch of heat but chefs dislike the mustard, while the richness in Gigi Hadid’s vodka pasta doesn’t come from the alcohol
The TikTok famous baked feta pasta recipe is as good as influencers make it out to be, say experts. Photo: Shutterstock
Pasta and noodles are great at any time of the day. Maybe that’s exactly why viral recipes regularly do the rounds on social media.
Baked feta pasta is the mother of all pasta trends. A block of feta is placed in a casserole dish before cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and herbs are added. After 20 to 25 minutes in the oven, the feta is soft and can be mixed with the other ingredients to form a sauce. Quickly stir in the cooked pasta – and dinner is served.
You can even save on the washing up by making it into a one-pot dish. The bottom of the dish is lined with uncooked spaghetti, which is then completely covered with water or vegetable stock, while the feta and other ingredients are placed on top. Bake for around 30 minutes until everything is cooked.
Baked feta pasta scores well with the cooking experts. Cookbook author Domenico Gentile explains what makes the dish so special: “Feta doesn’t melt as well as other types of cheese – which makes it nice and creamy.”
If you like a smoother pasta sauce, add a ladle of pasta water before mixing. The starch helps the sauce stick to the pasta. The effect is similar if you cook the pasta in the casserole dish, says Jakob Albermann, a member of the German National Cooking Team.
If you serve the pasta with a handful of fresh basil and some lemon zest, your dinner will taste even more like a Mediterranean holiday.
An American classic, mac and cheese is unthinkable without those gooey strings of cheese. Traditionally, this pasta dish consists of short-cut macaroni and a Bechamel sauce to which grated cheese is added.
Pop star Rihanna’s recipe, however, is a little more extravagant – she likes to add ketchup, sweet chilli sauce and mustard.
It’s certainly not boring. “The chilli sauce adds a touch of heat, and the ketchup adds acidity,” says Gentile. However, the chefs absolutely cannot get on board with one of Rihanna’s ingredients. “The mustard makes no sense, especially with the Cheddar cheese,” says Gentile.
Mac and cheese consists of short-cut macaroni and a Bechamel sauce to which grated cheese is added. Photo: Getty Images
Even though vodka pasta is often mentioned online in the same breath as Gigi Hadid, the famous model didn’t invent the dish. Also known as “Penne alla Vodka”, it’s been part of Italian-American cuisine since the 1970s.
It is a pasta sauce made from crushed tomatoes, cream and chilli flakes – and a dash of vodka. Before serving, a generous knob of butter is melted in the sauce, followed by a generous amount of Parmesan.
While the name draws them in, the chefs are sceptical as to whether it’s the alcohol that makes the dish so delicious.
“After all, vodka has a pretty neutral taste – and you can hardly taste the alcohol when cooked,” says Albermann. “It’s more the other ingredients that make the dish so good.”
The fat from the cream and butter further enhances the flavours of the sauce, as does the Parmesan.
Rihanna in New York in 2019. Her mac and cheese recipe uses ketchup, sweet chilli sauce and mustard. Photo: Getty Images
Fancy munching on some crunchy pasta on your next movie night? Then have a go at making pasta crisps (pasta chips to some), the latest TikTok trend.
To make them, cook some short-cut pasta, such as penne or rigatoni, until al dente. Toss the pasta with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and herbs – such as garlic powder, paprika and oregano. The pasta is then baked in the oven until crispy and served with a dip, such as a whipped feta dip.
Opinions differ on pasta crisps. Gentile says “it’s just dry-baked pasta – like the top layer of lasagne that didn’t get enough sauce”. He guesses that the crunch of the pasta chips is different from what you are used to with standard crisps.
Even though vodka pasta is often mentioned online in the same breath as Gigi Hadid, the famous model didn’t invent the dish. Photo: GC Images
“Potato chips are much thinner,” Gentile says. So if you want to try the pasta crisps, it’s best to choose a thin-walled type of pasta.
Albermann, on the other hand, imagines that pasta crisps are worth a try. He advises sprinkling the crisps with fresh herbs, which burn easily and become bitter during baking, once they’ve come out of the oven.