Tag: burrata

Recipe: The Easiest Yummiest Starter; Burrata with Tomatoes, Pesto and Olive Oil

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If you’re Team Burrata, then this is for you!

I have made so many versions of this starter over the years but this is how I like it best. It’s super easy, just an assembly job really, but oh, so delicious!

We all know burrata is delicious. Especially paired with tomatoes. And basil. But take it one step further and substitute the fresh basil (although I use some for garnish) with fresh (this is important, it has to be fresh pesto, either store-bought – you find it by the fresh pasta and sauces – or homemade) pesto. It has more flavour, more texture and makes it feel more like a proper dish than just tomatoes and burrata together.

Although this is pretty much the only building blocks, I share a few tricks in the below recipe to elevate these flavours as much as possible.

But I also recommend bread of some kind. Either a crusty baguette or a chewy ciabatta or sourdough, or of course, crisp crostini.

Burrata with tomatoes, pesto and olive oil, serves 2

125 g burrata, removed from the fridge an hour before serving

100 g cherry tomatoes, rinsed and halved

2-3 tsp fresh pesto

a good quality extra virgin olive oil

fresh basil

sea salt (I like Maldon) and black pepper

a wedge of lemon

Place the burrata in a shallow bowl or on a platter. Arrange the tomatoes around it. Add salt and pepper. Add the pesto to a little bowl and add a tbsp or so of olive oil to loosen it so you can drizzle it. Stir with a teaspoon and drizzle the pesto oil mixture over the burrata and tomatoes. Squeeze over lemon juice. Decorate with basil leaves. Add a little more salt and pepper. And just before bringing it to the table, drizzle with more of the olive oil. Serve with bread or crostini.

Recipe: Spaghetti with Buttery Tomato Sauce and Burrata

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I take inspiration from all around me and my cooking philosophy (and perhaps generally in life too) is that everything can be improved upon. So even though I thought my regular tomato sauce could hold is own, I was intrigued when I saw Swedish food writer Sofia Wood add butter and honey to her tomato sauce on Instagram.

Not long after I saw that I made this spaghetti with tomato sauce and burrata and the butter, honey and lemon juice really improved my already quite good tomato sauce. The butter just makes it more mellow (in the best possible way) while also adding depth. I highly recommend trying this at home! The honey is less controversial as I always add sugar to my tomato sauce to take away sharpness, but honey works really well and you don’t have to be scared you added too much like you can with sugar. Lastly, the lemon juice added back a bit of sharpness after having removed some with adding butter and honey, but it adds a different kind of sharpness than the tomatoes have naturally – it’s fresher!

So with all these little tweaks my tomato sauce was taken to the next level and it was SO good paired with creamy burrata, olive oil and basil that I urge you, yes URGE you, to try it too!

Spaghetti with buttery tomato sauce and burrata, serves 2

1 burrata, 200 g

300 g spaghetti

1 tbsp olive oil for frying

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

400 g passata

50 ml water

2 tbsp honey

3 tbsp salted butter

1-2 tsp lemon juice

1 small bunch basil, finely chopped

salt and pepper

Topping:

torn basil

extra virgin olive oil

grated parmesan

salt and pepper

Cook the spaghetti al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Take the burrata out of the fridge. Add the oil to a large sauce pan on medium heat. Fry the garlic for a few minutes but don’t let it get too brown. Add the passata and water and let it reduce for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add honey and butter to the sauce and let it melt while stirring. Add the lemon juice and basil and season well to taste.

Add the drained spaghetti to the sauce and a little pasta water if needed. Continue to cook the pasta in the sauce while moving the pasta around in the pan with tongs until each strand of spaghetti is evenly coated with tomato sauce. Remove from heat and divide between bowls.

Tear the burrata in two and divide between bowls. Drizzle with olive oil. Scatter with basil and add extra salt and pepper. Finish it off with a generous scattering of grated parmesan.

Recipe: Burrata with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and Wild Garlic Pesto

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One of my favourite foods is undoubtedly burrata. It’s just so creamy and delicious and a nice weekend treat. But, it’s also the easiest thing to use for a lovely starter. When you have burrata you don’t have to work so hard with the rest; just make sure it goes well together.

So for a lovely spring time starter a few weekends ago I made minimal work. Apart from taking the burrata out of the fridge an hour ahead of eating I really didn’t do much; my appliances did all the work for me. The oven slow roasted the cherry tomatoes until jammy and sweet and the food processor made a really delicious wild garlic pesto to smother the burrata with. Add to that some bread and Bob’s your uncle.

Burrata with slow-roasted tomatoes and wild garlic pesto, serves 2

1 x 150g burrata

150 g cherry tomatoes

mild olive oil

1 tsp oregano or herbes de Provence

salt and pepper

1 batch wild garlic pesto

grassy olive oil for drizzling

salt and pepper

bread to serve

Preheat the oven to 150C. Wash and halve the tomatoes. Place them in an oven-proof dish and drizzle with mild olive oil. Add the herbs, salt and pepper and mix to coat. Place in oven for approx 1 hour.

Take the burrata out of the fridge an hour before it’s needed. Make the pesto.

To assemble, place the burrata on a deep plate, place the tomatoes around the burrata and dollop the pesto on top. Drizzle with a grassy olive oil and add salt and pepper. Serve with bread.

Recipe: Mushroom Carpaccio with Burrata and Crostini

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While we’re patiently waiting for spring and tomato season, or as I prefer to call it; TOMATO AND BURRATA season, because there is no better combination of flavours ever, I have another easy burrata recipe to share. One that is as simple as slicing a tomato and tear a burrata into chunks. Well almost.

It’s a completely different flavour profile with earthy but fresh mushrooms, grassy olive oil and some lemon to brighten it all up, paired with that delicious creamy burrata. Serve with or on top of crostini for more texture.

Mushroom carpaccio with burrata and crostini, serves 2 as a starter

Inspiration from Systrarna Eisenman.

For the crostini:

1 small baguette

2 tbsp olive oil

For the carpaccio:

1 small burrata, at room temperature, torn into chunks

100 g button mushrooms, as fresh as possible

small bunch of parsley or chives, finely chopped

a drizzle of grassy olive oil

1/2 lemon, the juice

salt and pepper

Slice the baguette thinly. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Place in a 180C oven until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Leave to cool.

Wash, pat dry and trim the mushrooms, then slice them as thinly as possible. Arrange on a plate or platter either underneath or on top of the burrata. Scatter with herbs, drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Serve the crostini on the side.

Recipe: Burrata Pizza Two Ways

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During the first lockdown when I was on my own in London for three weeks, I mainly lived on food from Natoora. Partly because they offer wonderful produce and partly because it was impossible to get a delivery from any of the supermarkets.

As consequence I ate very well during these weeks although in a frugal way. So instead of devouring a burrata in one sitting (which is easily done) I tried to make it go further by pairing it with pasta and pizza.

And that’s how I came up with these two burrata pizzas! They’re both delicious in their own way, and I can highly recommend making your own burrata pizzas from scratch in a lockdown. It’s a fun project AND it tastes amazing. So let’s get to the recipe!

Italian pizza dough, makes 2

500 g 00-flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried yeast

325 ml lukewarm water

Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast. Add the water bit by bit while stirring with a wooden fork. Knead the dough until elastic. Cut the dough into two and shape to round balls. Put the dough balls back in the mixing bowl, sprinkle with flour and cover. Place somewhere warm and let it rise for 90 minutes. 

Tomato sauce, enough for 2 pizzas

1 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tin (400 g) chopped tomatoes

Add olive oil to a non-stick saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or so, add the tomato paste followed by the tinned tomatoes and a splash of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until slightly thickened, 15–20 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar and set aside until needed.

Burrata pizza with pesto and fresh basil

1/2 pizza dough

1/2 batch tomato sauce

75 ml grated mozzarella

75 ml grated cheddar

1/2 large burrata or 1 smaller

approx 3 tbsp fresh pesto

small bunch basil leaves, sliced

Shape the dough into a round pizza or use a rolling pin to roll it out thinly. Spread a thin layer or tomato sauce on the pizza. Add the grated cheese. Add salt and papper and bake in 225C, in a low oven, for 8-10 minutes.

Once crispy and golden, remove from the oven. Divide the burrata on the pizza. Drizzle with pesto and scatter with sliced basil leaves.

Burrata pizza with prosciutto, sliced tomatoes and basil

1/2 pizza dough

1/2 batch tomato sauce

75 ml grated mozzarella

75 ml grated cheddar

3-4 slices prosciutto

1 tomato, sliced

1/2 large burrata or 1 smaller

small bunch basil leaves, sliced

Shape the dough into a round pizza or use a rolling pin to roll it out thinly. Spread a thin layer or tomato sauce on the pizza. Add the grated cheese and place the prosciutto and tomato slices on top. Add salt and papper and bake in 225C, in a low oven, for 8-10 minutes.

Once crispy and golden, remove from the oven. Divide the burrata on the pizza. Drizzle with olive oil. Add black pepper and basil leaves.

Recipe: Asparagus with Burrata, Wild Garlic Oil and Lemon

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I was so pleased to get hold of some of my favourite foods during lockdown; British asparagus and burrata. So grateful Natoora opened up their restaurant delivery slots to the public. Because during this period I have lived for food. I took it upon myself to cook every night, make cakes and make sure we could enjoy nice food even though we couldn’t go out to restaurant. So yes, I’ve eaten very well during lockdown, but I have also been mindful, stretching food to go longer, and have mixed expensive foods with very economical dishes.

The best quality asparagus and burrata wouldn’t feel so special if we ate it every day, but you also want to make sure you make the most out of the short asparagus season.

I’m very pleased with this simple dish – which is more an assembly job than proper cooking. And that’s how to best enjoy the freshest of produce, in the simplest of ways. Asparagus with hollandaise or wild garlic mayo are two of my favourite ways to eat it, and now I have a third way: this!

Asparagus with burrata, wild garlic oil and lemon, serves 3

9 asparagus stems (preferably nice and thick)

125 g burrata, at room temperature

1 large handful wild garlic leaves, washed

100 ml vegetable oil

1/2 lemon, the zest

sea salt flakes and black pepper

Trim the wooden ends off the asparagus. Blanch them quickly in boiling water. Drain and fry with a tiny amount of oil in the pan until they’ve browned a little. Mix the wild garlic leaves with oil using a stick blender.

Divide the asparagus among the plates. Divide the burrata. Drizzle with wild garlic oil (approx 1 tbsp per plate). Add lemon zest and plenty of salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Updated: Tagliatelle with Tomato, Burrata and Crispy Parma Ham Crumbs

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As you may know by now, I like to change and perfect recipes until I’m 100 per cent satisfied. Take the dish of Spaghetti with tomato, burrata and crispy parma ham for example; it’s utterly delicious and I have cooked it many times since it’s inception, making little changes here and there, really evolving the recipe until it’s in Goldilocks words is ‘just right’. 

So, let me present to you the new and improved version of my tomato, burrata and crispy parma ham pasta!

The flavour was spot on from the beginning, but I found that the pasta shape could be improved upon and this creamy tomato-y sauce coats tagliatelle so much better than the more slipper spaghetti. And the parma ham. Although perfectly crisp and delicious it just didn’t work as well with a whole slice on top (both aesthetically and flavour wise) as the parma ham chopped small and covering the whole dish like sprinkles on an ice cream; deliciously interspersed with every bite! And it turned out the addition of parmesan was actually redundant. I can’t believe I just wrote than sentence, but sometimes less is more. Just trust me on this. Instead I added more burrata and a little more cream to the sauce so the dish is now rather indulgent. And so it should be!

Small changes, absolutely. But worth mentioning as the impact is huge and I always strive for pasta (and burrata!) perfection.

So do try this at home; it’s almost as fun to make as it is to eat!

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Tagliatelle with tomato, burrata and crispy parma ham crumbs, serves 3

400 g tagliatelle

6 slices parma ham

1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

1 tbsp light olive oil 

270 g cherry tomatoes, halved 

100 ml white wine

chopped basil

2 tsp caster sugar 

salt, black pepper

6 tbsp tomato sauce 

1 tsp herbs de provence

50 ml double cream

To serve:

2 smaller or 1 large burrata, at room temperature

more chopped basil

Pre-heat the oven to 200C fan. Place the ham slices on parchment covered baking tray and put it in the oven for 7 minutes or until crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool, chop into small pieces. 

Cook the spaghetti al dente according to the instructions on the packet. In the meantime, make the tomato sauce. Add oil to a medium sauce pan and put it on medium heat. Add the garlic and shortly after the cherry tomatoes. Let them soften and caramelise. Once mushy add the wine and basil and stir occasionally. Add sugar to taste.

For more sauciness, add 6 tbsp tomato sauce and the herb de Provence. Add the cream and lower the heat while the sauce is thickening a little. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar.  

Drain the pasta and add it to the saucepan. Mix throughly and divide between bowls. Top with the burrata torn into smaller pieces. Finish off with chopped basil and scatter generously with the crispy parma ham crumbs.    

Recipe: Burrata with Girolles, Dill and Browned Butter

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As you may already know, I’m a HUGE burrata fan (which my archives can attest to!) and I eat it as often as possible during summer when there are plenty of tomatoes around because it pairs so well with the creamy pillowy cheese. But tomato season is sadly over and as a result there has definitely been less burrata in my life because I just haven’t found that perfect autumnal pairing for it. Until now.

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And it’s all thanks to Instagram and this post from Tuvessonskan! The slightly garlicky girolles and the nuttiness of the brown butter works so well with the creaminess of the burrata while the dill and lemon adds freshness. Do not forget the lemon; it balances the butter perfectly!

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Burrata with girolles, dill and browned butter, serves 2

1 small burrata

1 baguette (or crostini)

150 g fresh girolles

1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil for frying

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped 

50 g salted butter

1/2 lemon

plenty of fresh dill

salt and peppar 

Remove the burrata from the fridge at least 30 minutes before you need it. Fry the mushrooms in oil an butter. Add the garlic towards the end. Season and put aside.

Brown the butter in a medium-sized pan on medium-high heat. Wait for it to foam up a lot and turn brown (but not dark) and smell nutty. Remove from heat.

Place the burrata in a shallow bowl or something with an edge. Arrange the girolles around the burrata. Spoon over the browned butter. Squeeze some lemon over the whole thing. Scatter with plenty of chopped dill. Season one last time and serve with bread. 

 

Recipe: caprese salad with burrata

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If you follow me, you know I have one strong obsession at the moment – burrata! I think it’s partly because it’s tomato season and burrata go so well with tomatoes. The creaminess of the cheese is the perfect contrast to the sweet and slightly acidic tomatoes.

One of the best – and easiest – ways to combine the two is in a simple caprese salad. All you need is four ingredients (good quality tomatoes, burrata, basil and a decent olive) and salt and pepper.

It’s perfect for lunch with some bread, as a casual al fresco starter with rosé or as part of a buffet or on little skewers as a canapé. The possibilities are endless.

Caprese salad with burrata, serves 2

2 large tomatoes, sliced (or the corresponding amount of cherry tomatoes, halved), at room temperature

1 small burrata, at room temperature

approx 10 basil leaves

2 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

Divide the tomato slices between two plates. Tear the burrata into pieces and divide between the plates. Scatter with basil (I like to keep the leaves whole). Season. Drizzle generously with olive oil and serve straight away, maybe with some nice crusty bread. 

 

Recipe: bruschetta with burrata

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I hardly think I’m the first person to think of this combination, but since I like to pair burrata with everything tomato-y here we are. And it’s a winner! I love the classic bruschetta but the burrata adds another dimension with its creaminess and makes the dish a little more sophisticated (but also more difficult to eat with dignity).

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I could start every dinner party, luncheon and gathering with this and some rosé from now until August and have happy guests – I’m sure of it. Or if you want to skip the bread, make a classic caprese salad (basically the same ingredients) but with burrata instead of mozzarella. That’s what I did with the leftovers and it was delicious too! But bruschetta is great for a crowd as you don’t need plates (although they are quite handy), just serve these with plenty of napkins!

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Hanna’s bruschetta with  burrata, serves 4-6 as a starter or as nibbles

1 large baguette

olive oil

1 garlic clove, cut in half 

4-5 vine tomatoes

1 handful fresh basil, finely chopped 

sea salt, black pepper 

2 small burrata or 1 large, at room temperature

Slice the baguette thinly on the diagonal. Place on a parchment covered baking tray. Drizzle with oil and rub the bread with the garlic. Toast the bread in a 200C oven until golden, approx 8-10 minutes. 

Meanwhile chop the tomatoes and place in a sieve or colander to remove the excess liquid. Transfer to a bowl. Chop the garlic used for rubbing the bread and mix that in as well as the basil. Add oil, salt and pepper.

Remove the toasted bread from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Place on a plate or platter, top with the tomato mixture. Tear the burrata into smaller pieces and put some on each bruschetta. Drizzle with olive oil and top with black pepper. Serve immediately with plenty of napkins.