Easy Mezze; Burrata with Chilli Oil Herbs and Lemon

 

Burrata with Chilli Oil Herbs and Lemon Zest and Juice. Pictured in a small terracotta dish, with wholemeal bruschetta.  Photo and recipe by Laura Faire

Quick and delicious this burrata with local chilli oil is an absolute hit.  It relies on buying well, which is an easy way to entertain. Burrata is mozzarella shaped into a pouch and filled with cream-soaked stracciatella (stringy cheesy bits).

2 balls of Burrata 

1/3 cup of Chilli Oil (photo is House of Dumplings with garlic)

2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, (a mix here of oregano, chives and parsley)

1 lemon, zest and a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Sea salt (cere's natural sea salt is my fave)

1/2 loaf of wholemeal bread, sliced, oiled and barbequed (this is from Florets bakery in Grey Lynn, Auckland)

  1. Gently lift each Burrata ball out of the liquid, tear them open and arrange them in a dish with at least a small raised rim.
  2. Make sure the lid is on tightly invert and shake the chilli oil bottle to disperse the chilli and garlic flakes evenly.  Pour liberally over the arranged torn burrata.
  3. Scatter with salt, chopped herbs and lemon zest.  Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top but not so much that it makes it wetter.
  4. For the bread, slice it up, and drizzle with olive oil. Barbeque to make a  strong crisp vessel for the burrata. 

Notes:  I used the Massimo's Burrata, it is a very pale ivory colour inside.  It's best to choose two balls from the same company as some are stark white and some are yellow.  So they can look odd together with the colour variation.  

Be vigilant about checking the use-by dates in the shop. Not sure why but I've experienced a few being out of date and "gone" and that's in a busy area of town.

The House of Dumplings Chilli Oil with Garlic is an amazing NZ product made in Wellington with locally grown organic rapeseed oil.  It didn't look to me like a premium product at first glance.  But it is going to feature heavily in my Summer entertainment roster.  Salad dressings, marinades, floating on broths, over seafood.  Yum



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