BURRATA AND BLOOD ORANGE
If food could be fashionable, n’duja and burrata would currently be top of the A-list’s most wanted items. Burrata, meaning ‘buttery’, is a cheese I grew up with yet it’s only quite recently come to the fore in the UK and now I’m constantly seeing it on restaurant menus – Italian or otherwise. It’s a beautiful fresh cheese from Puglia made from a mixture of mozzarella and cream. The outside shell, or pouch, is a thin, firm layer of cow’s mozzarella; you cut into it to let a liquid centre of curds and cream spill out. Luxurious
yet light – I can’t get enough of it.
Here the bitter blood orange has just the right amount of acidity to act as a contrast to the salty, creamy burrata so you don’t really feel like you’re eating something sweet. The dish is also balanced by one of my favourite bitter leaves, radicchio, which adds another savoury note. It’s an unusual combination but I think it works perfectly.
SERVES 4
1 burrata cheese
2ó blood oranges, peeled, white pith removed,
plus, the juice of the extra ó
30g radicchio
30g watercress
30g rocket
2 tsp lemon juice
grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp clear honey
30g salted capers, soaked overnight
10 hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Leave the burrata at room temperature for 1 hour before starting to prepare the dish.
Cut the blood oranges into thin slices crossways then squeeze the juice of the remaining half into a bowl and set aside.
Place the radicchio, watercress and rocket leaves in a bowl of iced water and set aside. Drain and dry when ready to serve.
Add the lemon juice and zest to the bowl of reserved orange juice, together with the olive oil, honey and some salt and pepper and whisk energetically until nice and creamy.
To serve, open the burrata on to one side of a serving plate, arrange the drained leaves on the other side, then top the leaves with the orange slices and capers. Drizzle with the dressing and finish by scattering the chopped hazelnuts on top.
