This recipe for a Caprese salad with burrata is one of my favourite dishes of all time. This Caprese salad takes minutes to prepare, and the soft, creamy texture of the burrata combines beautifully with the sharpness of the balsamic vinegar.Many Caprese salads use slices of mozzarella, but I find the flavour balance when using burrata makes this version far, far superior. If you want even more flavour you could add a little drizzle of pesto, but I think the sharpness of the vinegar does enough.Burrata starts out much like mozzarella and many other types of Italian cheese, where rennet is used to curdle warm milk. The difference between burrata and the other cheeses is that the fresh mozzarella curds are plunged into hot whey or lightly salted water, then kneaded, and pulled to develop the familiar stretchy strings. The still warm, stretchy cheese is then used to make a casing for the thickened stracciatella di bufala (not to be confused with Stracciatella ice-cream).To keep it fresh Burrata is kept in a moist container or bag – but it does not last long even like this and should be consumed within a day or two of purchase to enjoy it at its best.
Ingredients
- 1 whole Burrata (drained)
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 1 handful rocket leaf mix (arugula)
- 1 handful basil leaves
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Black pepper (to season)
Instructions
- Halve all the tomatoes and add them to a mixing bowl with the rocket leaf basil.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar, the extra virgin olive oil, and season with the black pepper. Then gently toss the mixture together.
- Leaving a little gap in the centre of the plate, place the salad
- Open and drain the burrata, place in the centre of the salad and drizzle with one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
- Serve immediately – whilst the burrata is still cold and creamy, and the salad is still fresh and crunchy.
If you love Italian food, you might find our article about Italian Food Terms useful.
