Stracciatella is a rich and delicious filling found in the middle of burrata.
Ingredients
It is actually little shreds of the cheese which has been soaked in cream and then filled into the centre of each pouch of cheese. It can be difficult to find in lovely fresh condition but one can make a good approximation using shredded mozzarella soaked in cream.
Serves 4
- Stracciatella approximation made with 1 ball, c 150g of mozzarella thinly sliced and cut into shreads or strings the thickness of drinking straw, and soaked in 4 tablespoons cream
- 3 blood oranges
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 24 rocket leaves, washed and dried
- 20 hazelnuts, roasted, in an oven at 200c for c 8 minutes, cooled, skins rubbed off and coarsely crushed with a fork
- Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
- Peel two of the oranges with a sharp knife removing all of the rind and pith. Cut one of the peeled oranges into neat skinless segments and the other into 8 neat slices.
- Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Juice the remaining orange and place in a very small saucepan with the honey. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the liquid is reduced by half and just starting to look a little syrupy.
- Do not allow to over reduce or the charm of the flavour of the blood orange juice will be lost. Reserve until ready to assemble the salad.
- To assemble the dish, divide the stracciatella between 4 plates or 1 large flat serving dish. Scatter the rocket leaves and place the oranges around the cheese in an attractive manner.
- Drizzle on the remaining the oily juices from the oranges and the reduced orange juice.
- Scatter the nuts over each salad and finish with a few grains of salt. I sometimes drizzle on a few more drops of olive oil if I think it looks necessary. Serve immediately.
