Ottolenghi’s Burrata with Blood Orange, Coriander Seeds and Lavender Oil
Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe for creamy burrata paired with vibrant blood orange is an all-time favourite at his restaurant, NOPI. It is the perfect starter to celebrate both this decadent cheese and the brief but wonderful blood orange season.
From the book
NOPI: The Cookbook
Over 120 recipes from Ottolenghi's celebrated Soho restaurant
Inspiring vegetable dishes
Sophisticated recipes made accessible for home cooks
Introduction
Customers come to NOPI for this dish alone. We sell about 1,000 each month! Burrata, which means ‘buttered’ in Italian, is a fresh cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is pure mozzarella while the softer inside is a mixture of mozzarella and cream, which starts to ooze out when a ball is pulled apart. Burrata is second to none and worth seeking out, but a buffalo milk mozzarella can be used as an alternative.
Burrata is commonly paired with tomatoes but, when playing with flavours for this before NOPI opened, Scully walked past a man sitting on a bench in Finsbury Park eating a blood orange. A citrus spark was struck, lavender was in season, Yotam introduced the coriander seeds and the dish was born!
Bitter-sweet blood oranges have a short season in late winter but many alternatives have been served at NOPI: white peaches, clementines, pink grapefruit, roasted red grapes, pickled pears and kohlrabi. Regular oranges, for those who want to keep things simple, also work very well.
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| 1½ tsp | clear runny honey |
| ¾ tsp | dried lavender |
| ½ | small garlic clove, crushed |
| 1 tsbp | coriander seeds, toasted |
| 2 (320g total) | blood oranges, or 2 medium oranges |
| 4 (440g total) | burrata balls |
| 5g | basil or micro-basil leaves |
| coarse sea salt |
Method
1 Place the oil in a small saucepan with the honey, lavender, garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer on a medium-low heat and remove at once. Stir well and set aside until completely cool, then add the coriander seeds.
2 Use a small, sharp, serrated knife to trim the tops and tails off the oranges. Cut down the sides of the oranges, following their natural curve, to remove the skin and white pith. Slice into 8 rounds, 1cm thick, and remove the pips.
3 Divide the orange slices between the plates, slightly overlapping, and place a burrata ball alongside. Spoon the coriander seeds and lavender oil over the cheese and orange, top with the basil leaves – tearing them as you go – or the micro-basil, left whole, and serve.
