IDEAL if you’re after burrata recipe ideas and pairings.
IDEAL if you’re after burrata recipe ideas and pairings.
So many of the world’s greatest dishes are born out of necessity. Indeed, even some of the world’s most beloved ingredients started life as the waste of a food production process or a preservation technique.
No doubt in recent years you’ve noticed the rising prevalence of the deliciously indulgent, super creamy burrata on menus across the UK, but it might surprise you to learn that its origins weren’t inspired by the pursuit of indulgence and luxury at all.
According to Pugliese historian Riccardo Campanile via the BBC, burrata was invented in the 1920s as a way of preserving leftover mozzarella in a time before refrigeration. Strips of mozzarella were combined with the delicate, creamy milk of cows grazing in the region of Murgia and then held in a ‘pouch’ of mozzarella blown up like a balloon.
Whilst the cream preserved the mozzarella pieces, the pouch acted as a shield and container, keeping the mixture from scorching in the sun. This unique method created one of the world’s most indulgent feeling products, and even though fridges are now present in the majority of homes and restaurants across Europe, the traditional process lives on to this day.
If you want the real deal, preserved and held in the historic way, then you should seek out Italian burrata from the source, prioritising those producers who pay lip service to traditional methods of whey grafting, attaining the same delicate texture and flavour as burrata, and made with a foot firmly in the past.
Anyway, once you’ve got your hands on some of the good stuff and you’re wondering what to eat with burrata, why not try one of these 7 IDEAL ways to enjoy burrata.
ON TOP OF A NEAPOLITAN STYLE PIZZA
Though a true Neapolitan pizza is beautiful in its simplicity, topping one with fresh burrata once it’s come out of the oven can add a deliciously indulgent subplot to the primary eating experience.
The best way to appreciate the delicate flavours of burrata is to enjoy it at an ambient room temperature. Be sure to remove the burrata from the fridge prior to cooking your pizza so it warms up a little – it’s important that the burrata isn’t super cold when it’s added to the top after the pizza comes out of the oven.
As the fantastic Arlington pizza purveyors at Zalat tell us, it’s important to note that burrata is traditionally used as an additional topping to a pizza, rather than in place of mozzarella. Burrata adds a touch of ultra creamy luxury to everything it touches and this couldn’t be truer than when added to pizza.
Because of this, be sure to keep the other toppings minimal and humble – a Neapolitan pizza calls for mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil, so this should be both your start and end point. Keep the burrata whole for an added element of theatre when you slice the pizza. Delicious!
WITH OLIVE OIL & SEA SALT
Simplicity is sometimes best. Serve your burrata with lashings of good quality extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt for a gorgeous accompaniment to a spread of Italian charcuterie and cheeses.
Pair it with a light white, high acidity white wine like a Pinot Grigio, which cuts through the rich creamy nature of this cheese and complements its delicate aroma and structure. Do that, and you’re in for a good night. ‘Nuff said.
BURRATA BRUSCHETTA
Bruschetta is simply grilled or toasted Italian bread, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and topped with delicious Italian ingredients. As such, it’s a bit of a blank canvas to have some fun with, and what ingredient is more frivolous and flirty than burrata?
Chef and co-owner Tim Siadatan of the highly acclaimed Italian restaurant Trullo in Highbury recommends topping toasted bread with anchovy paste and burrata for a delicious lunch, mid afternoon snack or light dinner (or even all three!). Again, the glorious marriage of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt brings the whole thing to life.
Alternatively, for a colourful, super healthy bruschetta, add roasted cherry tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, chargrilled aubergines, extra virgin olive oil, basil and, of course, burrata. Sure, the structural integrity of the bread might suffer, but you’ll have a whole lot of fun finding out.
A GRILLED PEACH & BURRATA SUMMER SALAD
There are certain food pairings in life that just feel so natural; tomato and basil, star anise and pork belly, chilli and coriander…these combinations are the backbone of some of the world’s most iconic dishes and we love them.
There are other food pairings which feel a little less compatible at first glance. Pairing burrata with grilled peach or nectarine may not naturally come to mind when looking for ways to eat burrata, but the two are beautiful bedfellows.
Grilling the peach heightens its sweetness and adds a smoky touch that complements the creaminess of the burrata perfectly. Add salty prosciutto di Parma and rocket to bring the whole salad together.
Try burrata with strawberry, balsamic vinegar (another fine pairing) and olive oil for a different, equally intriguing take on a summer salad.
These two combinations can also be served as dessert (minus the prosciutto and rocket, of course).
WITH BEETROOT & HAZELNUT
Though burrata naturally feels like a warm weather ingredient, and pairs most brilliantly with seasonal summer vegetables and fruit, it also works well in a winter salad of beetroot and toasted hazelnut, the two bringing a grounding earthiness to an otherwise indulgent ingredient.
AS PART OF A PASTA DISH
Burrata can also be used as part of a pasta dish, usually topping the dish rather than being cooked through the sauce, since some of its essence is lost when melted too thoroughly.
Simply tear off a few pieces to garnish a simple Spaghetti al Pomodoro. Alternatively, in Puglia, burrata is traditionally enjoyed with orecchiette (a local pasta shaped like a small ear), marinated aubergines, pine nuts and chilli.
Some clever cooks may even use burrata as part of a ravioli or agnolotti filling, pairing it with a fresh tomato sauce.
PAIR IT WITH BLACK TRUFFLES
Finally, why not consider buying truffle burrata…
Yes, cheesemakers have discovered that truffles are the ideal accompaniment to burrata. The rich, earthy and woody flavour of black truffles works well with the creaminess of burrata, creating an indulgent centrepiece to many a meal.
Well, for some it works well; people tend to react to truffles in very different ways. According to research reported in the WSJ, “40% of people are keenly sensitive to androstenone”, a hormone produced by male pigs (which is why they’re fine truffle hunters) and a chemical component of truffles that can smell like body odour or musky, rotting wood. However, 25% of the population don’t smell androstenone, and the rest actively adore the smell.
If you fall into the latter camp, simply serve truffle burrata atop some grilled bread or a mushroom pizza with a drizzle of honey and you’re in for a real treat (apologies to any Italians out there).