Burrata Night has always been a pretty popular request at my
house. You present each guest with one burrata and lots of side dishes. By allowing
everyone to compose their own plate, everybody leaves satisfied. You can get
creative and interchange the vegetables based on what’s in season, I’m just
using what I found at my local market. As a vegetarian, I find that roasting
vegetables brings out the best flavors and I’ve never gotten a complaint from
any of my meat-eating friends. Using
prosciutto helps me avoid cooking meat, which I’m fairly unfamiliar with. I
like to serve it all with olive oil, fleur de sel, fresh black pepper, homemade
balsamic reduction, and delicious crusty bread to soak it all up. A good red
wine doesn’t hurt either. If you have a BBQ, feel free to grill instead
of roasting, but here are the oven instructions for those of you without. I’ve
arranged them according to ideal prep+cook time, all together should take you
about two hours. Serves four.
Shopping List
4 BURRATA
10 SLICES PROSCIUTTO
2 LARGE ONIONS
2 RED BELL PEPPERS
2 SMALL ZUCCHINI
1 EGGPLANT
1 LARGE HEIRLOOM TOMATO
CHERRY TOMATOES ON VINE
3 CUPS CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS
STRAWBERRIES
MACHE SALAD
BASIL
THYME
BALSAMIC VINEGAR
OLIVE OIL
GOOD CRUSTY BREAD, LIKE BAGUETTE
GOOD RED WINE
Roasted Bell Peppers
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place bell peppers on a lined baking sheet
and roast until skin starts to blacken, turning once or twice to make sure all
sides roast evenly. When ready, place bell peppers in a paper bag and allow to
cool. The steam will make it easier to remove the skin. When cool enough to handle, remove stems,
seeds, and skin and slice lengthwise.
Zucchini
Cut zucchini into long spears and
brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper and allow to roast
with bell peppers at 450°F for 20 minutes or until golden.
Eggplant
While the peppers and zucchini are
in the oven, slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Cut a deep grid into each
half diagonally, being careful not to pierce the skin. Open the cuts and
sprinkle salt into them, then set aside for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to
400°F. Pour about a tablespoon of olive
oil onto each half, sprinkle with thyme and place facedown on a lined baking
sheet. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour,
depending on the size of your eggplant. The bottom should be soft and
caramelized.
Balsamic Reduction
In a small saucepan, bring one cup
of balsamic vinegar to a boil. Turn heat
to low, and allow to reduce for about ten minutes. You should be able to coat a
spoon with the liquid, but do not overcook, it will thicken as it cools.
Caramelized Onions
Halve the onions and slice
cross-wise. Heat up a few tablespoons of
olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add onions, and stir until golden. I like
to add about two “shots” of water into the pan about five minutes into it and
let it cook off. I find that it softens the onions and gives them a beautiful
golden color. Keep 1/3 of the onions in the pan, transfer rest to bowl.
Wild Mushrooms
Add the chanterelles into the pan
with the remaining 1/3 of onions, adding a few more tablespoons of oil. Sautee
over medium heat until golden, about ten minutes.
Tomatoes
Slice
the heirloom crosswise and arrange on a plate with basil leaves. Lay the cherry
tomatoes over the top, drizzle with olive oil.
Strawberries,
Prosciutto, and Mache
Arrange
each ingredient in it’s own bowl or plate and serve.
