Vegetarian mains
Burrata with oven-dried tomatoes, charred courgettes & pesto
This recipe has summer written all over it. Burrata is a rich and creamy cheese, with a soft centre that oozes when cut open. It’s an absolute delight when paired with the summer flavours of basil, tomatoes, courgettes and lemon in this dish. Charring courgettes gives them a smoky flavour while avoiding destroying their firm texture.
Cook's notes
You can also use mozzarella in place of burrata.
Ingredients
- 1 courgette
- large handful of basil
- 1 garlic clove
- juice of one lemon
- 40g chopped walnuts
- ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 oven-dried tomatoes (see our recipe), or shop-bought sundried tomatoes
- 5 black olives
- 1 tsp of capers
- 1 burrata ball
- chilli flakes (optional)
Method
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Step 1
Cut the courgettes lengthways into quarters. On a hot griddle pan or BBQ, char the courgettes, turning occasionally to you’ve got deep black lines on each side. Removed and cut into small pieces, about 2cm.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, make the pesto. In a food processor, blitz the basil, garlic, lemon juice, half the walnuts, the vinegar and olive oil. Take your burrata out of the fridge.
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Step 3
Cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Slice the olives. Transfer both to a mixing bowl with the capers and mix. Allow to marinate somewhere warm for 10 minutes.
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Step 4
Once cooked, add the courgettes and pesto to the bowl. Stir to mix, taste and season.
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Step 5
Arrange on a plate in a small mound and then place the room temperature burrata on top. Garnish with the remaining walnuts and chilli flakes. A few wedges of sourdough will go down well on the side too.