Burrata, Mozzarella Cousin

Burrata, Mozzarella Cousin

by | Jun 17, 2012 | Cheese, Featured Articles, Food!, Incredible Locations, Italy, Journal, Meals, Milano, Photo of the Day, Photos

Imagine making a cheesy pouch out of fresh mozzarella, then filling it with cream and mozzarella strands. That’s “Burrata“.

“Burro” means “butter”, so it gives you an idea of the fatty, smooth deliciousness of this cheese! Burrata is a fist-sized, creamy cheese ball, and for those that don’t dare indulge themselves with a whole burrata, they can go for a burratina, a smaller, half-fist-sized ball of coat-your-mouth-with-decadence cheese.

I made a plate-sized salad by which to deliver the burrata to my mouth: a bed of arugula, fresh green figs from the street market yesterday morning, sicilian cherry tomatoes, burrata in the middle, a fresh grind of pepper, and everything drizzled with balsamic glaze and olive oil.

(Click on the the photo to see the full, plate-sized view.)

Here’s Wikipedia’s discussion of Burrata:

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is also defined by some sources as an outer shell of mozzarella filled with butter or a mixture of butter and sugar. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. The name “burrata” means “buttered” in Italian.

 

 

Figs in Prosciutto Jackets

Figs in Prosciutto Jackets

by | Oct 4, 2010 | Featured Articles, Food!, Incredible Locations, Journal, Meals, Photos, Quips, Sanremo, Seattle

The inspiration of living in Italy will likely continue on for a very long time. I recently split fresh figs and stuffed them with a wedge of goat cheese. I wound them with jackets of prosciutto slices and garnished them with young leaves of basil. The plate of appetizers disappeared in 30 seconds. Late-comers were out of luck.

When in Milano in late July, riding my bike alongside the canal, I passed many fig trees heavy with ripening fruit. I kept watching the progress, wondering if the figs would be ready before my departure on July 31. They weren’t. But at half-ripe, they were already twice the size of the the California figs I recently bought here.

Eating figs here in Seattle reminds me of eating figs for lunch with friends in Sanremo along the Italian Riviera in early July.