I remember what a special treat holidays were as a child growing up in an Italian American household where Christmas and Easter always featured traditional Italian delicacies. Despite the hard work my Nonna put into her delicious and complex Caponatina or the many hours our family spent forming and frying homemade cannoli shells by hand, one of my very favorite parts of every holiday dinner was the fresh mozzarella served at antipasto. Sometimes my aunt would bring handmade mozzarella the size of softballs from a specialty store in Brooklyn, and those were the best times. I remember watching in amazement as the precious one (or two!) balls of cheese (much softer and saltier than anything you could buy in local stores) were unfurled from its tightly wound plastic wrap. The next instant, it would be devoured by my siblings and me with our favorite: olive oil, tomatoes and bread.
While my Italian roots run deep, there is a magnificent Italian cheese that I have only recently discovered as an adult – and have become obsessed with. Burrata. Imagine everything you already love about a ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, but better. Burrata (which literally translates to buttery) has a firm, round shell of fresh mozzarella that, when cut into, contains a decadent, creamy and unforgettable center. This center is called stracciatella which is a combination of shredded mozzarella and cream from the very best fresh milk. Just a forkful of this incredible goodness is enough to make this a new favorite, but paired with an heirloom tomato and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil? Forget it! You’ll be hooked.
Not only does our Deli in Weaver’s Farm Market carry this specialty cheese (unlike most grocery stores), we carry BelGioioso which is a family business with more World Cheese Awards than you can count. The Italian immigrants who started the BelGioioso company in 1979 were true trailblazers in popularizing then unknown Italian cheeses to the United States, and they continue today to be leaders of artisan cheese making throughout the world. While this quick burrata recipe only has a handful of ingredients, you will find that the simplicity of good ingredients paired well works perfectly. And so, mangia!
P.S. An interesting note for Italian language fans: the phrase “mangia,” which is common in English vocabulary, means more than just “eat.” It is a word that is grammatically in command form. And so, when it comes to Burrata, eat!
Heirloom Tomato Burrata Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
- Category: Salads, Tomatoes, Vegetarian, Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 head green leaf lettuce, washed and dried
- 2 large homegrown heirloom tomatoes, washed and sliced
- 8oz (1/2 pint) BelGioioso burrata (contains 2 balls)
- Balsamic vinegar of Modena (about 1/8-1/4 cup)
- Extra virgin olive oil (about 1/8-1/4 cup)
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- Fresh basil sprig
Instructions
1. Rinse, dry and roughly chop lettuce, tossing into a shallow, round serving bowl. Thickly slice heirloom tomatoes into wedges, and place slices in a ring around the rim of the bowl atop the lettuce.
2. Wipe away any tomato juice or seeds from your cutting board before proceeding. Slice each ball of burrata in half and, using the flat end of the knife to keep the cream filling inside, flip each half so that it is facing upwards. Place the cheese halves in the center of the tomato ring in a serving dish (or individual salad plates if not serving from one dish).
3. Salt and pepper the salad and then generously drizzle the vinegar first, followed by the olive oil. Place a small sprig of fresh basil on the burrata and enjoy. Mangia!
Notes
- Using heirloom tomatoes of different colors make this a really beautiful dish.
- You can easily make this salad in either individual bowls or one large shared one. I recommend putting one half a burrata per individual salad.
Keywords: Burrata, Heirloom Tomatoes, Salads, Vegetarian, Recipes