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Burrata di Andria con Pomodori dal Raccolto Tardivo in Tre Maniere

Burrata of Andria with Late Harvest Tomatoes in Three Styles



Mozzarella is made throughout Italy as well as in many countries, but Burrata, mozzarella stuffed with more mozzarella, is a specialty of Puglia and made in the municipalities of Andria and Martina Franca.

Made with buffalo's milk, cow's milk, or a mixture of both, mozzarella is a pasta filata cheese, meaning after the curd is formed and allowed to rest, it is re-worked in a hot water bath and pulled like taffy to smooth it out. Then it is shaped into a myriad of sizes with corresponding names, such as perline, bocconcini, ovolini and fior di latte. When a large nugget is stretched to make a small pouch, it is stuffed with leftover strands of mozzarella made from the whey mixed with cream. The thin mozzarella shell encapsulates the filling, then it is closed, tied and briefly immersed in a brine bath to seal. Ecco-La! Burrata di Andria. It does not get any better than this!



 
Isn't she beautiful? One of the lovely young ladies at La Florida in Putignano, Puglia, this water buffalo can attain a weight of up to 1200 kilos, but remains very "light on her hooves". Quite timid yet very curious, water buffalo are an odd combination of emotions and sensibilities. (She liked the thin handles of my black handbag, but not my black box camera.) Gentile creatures, they become accustomed to one person and will respond when called by name. Their milk is easier for humans to digest than cow's milk, fyi.





Professionals making the pouch in the mozzarella then filling with hand-pulled mozzarella mixed with cream at Caseificio Olanda in Andria, Puglia.










Burrata is a fresh cheese weighing 8-16 ounces, and is meant to be consumed soon after production rather than aged. There is no hard outer rind, only the supple pouch containing the pulled strands or stracciatelle of mozzarella and cream. Possessing a full milk flavor, it tastes rich yet delicate and has a bit of tang from the enzymes used to create the mozzarella. Serving Burrata di Andria is easy - the simpler the better to me, although combinations of oysters, grilled octopus and ricci have appeared on menus. Plain and simple with a really fruity extra-virgin olive oil is delicious and makes a great breakfast, lunch, minestra and dinner. When late harvest tomatoes are added, you will serve a memorable luscious dish. In the bottom photo are homegrown tomatoes served 3 different ways: fresh tomato juice, sautéed semi-dried cherry tomatoes, and fried green tomatoes.


  • Frise soaked with fresh tomato juice:

  •  

    fresh tomato juice, squeezed from ripe tomatoes

  •  

    sliced garlic

  •  

    frise or other hard non-sweet biscuit

  •  

    extra-virgin olive oil

  •  

    sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on top



Squeeze ripe tomatoes directly into a small colander catching the seeds so they can be discarded. Pour the fresh tomato juice into a small bowl, soak the garlic slices in this for several minutes. (Remove the garlic and reserve for the guazzetto.) A few minutes before serving, pour the juice over the frise and let it permeate until it swells and softens without becoming mushy. (Or vigorously rub a cut ripe tomato over it releasing its juices and some pulp onto the surface for added texture, moisture and interest.) Drizzle the top with extra-virgin olive oil then season with salt and black pepper.




  • Guazzetto di Pomodorini d'Inverno:
    • Guazzetto means stew and is usually a very simple sauce, thin in consistency. Composed of few ingredients, this enables the essence of the main ingredient to be emphasized. In Puglia, the season's last cherry tomatoes are left on the vine to semi-dry and concentrate flavors and texture, becoming a bit chewy - ideal for a guazzetto. Since these Pomodorini d'Inverno or semi-dried cherry tomatoes contain less juice, make a tomato water by chopping sun-dried tomatoes and soaking them in cool water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserve the chopped sun-dried tomatoes for another use, and use this tomato water to create the guazzetto.

  •  

    extra-virgin olive oil

  •  

    sliced garlic (reserve from the fresh tomato juice)

  •  

    semi-dried cherry tomatoes, split

  •  

    tomato water (chopped sun-dried tomatoes immersed
       in cool water)

  •  

    sea salt to taste



In a small sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and sauté the garlic, do not brown the garlic or it becomes bitter. Add the pomodorini d'inverno and sauté for 5-8 minutes, adding tomato water as needed to make a concentrated sauce. Remove from the heat, season to taste with salt.




  • Frittura:

  •  

    green tomatoes, sliced or halved

  •  

    fine yellow polenta

  •  

    oil for frying

  •  

    sea salt to taste



In a deep pan, over high heat, heat the oil to 400° F/200° C. The juice of the tomato slices should make the polenta adhere, just dip into the fine polenta then slip into the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove, drain and season with salt to taste.

Serving: On the serving platter, spoon some guazzetto and place the Burrata in the center. Arrange the frise and fried green tomatoes on the side. At the table, split open the burrata and scoop some onto the frise, accent with the fried tomato slices ~ Buon Appetito!