Grilled Cucumbers with Tomato-Cardamom Dressing and Burrata | Yotam Ottolenghi

The destination wedding in Italy we attended a few months ago is still fresh in our minds. The happy couple, loving families and friends in attendance created lasting memories. Well, I’m here to talk about food, so let’s get to it. Evidently, I expected good food from the region where the best olive oil, lemons and tomatoes are produced. However, what’s most impressive was: a crew of chefs and artisans were making food from scratch in front of us, right on the premise. Burrata and pasta, freshly made? I was blown away.

The uniqueness of timing and the occasion is almost impossible to replicate; the whole experience is something I’d savor for a long time. Remembering the food adventure in Puglia and using a great recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi, I know I can probably make a good dish that we’d all enjoy. Really, there’s no expectation given the standard is too high to surmount.

Grilled cucumbers with tomato-cardamom dressing and burrata is an assembled side dish. You make the dressing, grill the cucumber and put everything together on the plate. It’s a dish you can readily cook on a weeknight. However, we’re pleasantly surprised how much we like it.

There is everything we want to eat in it. The charred cucumbers have a slight crunch and smoky flavor. The dressing is phenomenal, deliciously balanced among the savory taste (from the miso), acidity (from the cherry tomatoes and lime juice), and mild heat (from paprika). Of course, there is burrata for a fresh, smooth and creamy finish that I never get enough of.

The tomato cardamon dressing is so good that we lick our plates clean. What we can’t mop up, we save the plate, with the leftover dressing on it, to eat with the fish and lentils we’re having next. That dressing elevates whatever it touches. Good to find a dish we can embrace — and reminds us of Italy, that’s easily accessible in the home kitchen.

Print Recipe

Grilled Cucumbers with Tomato-Cardamom Dressing and Burrata

By Yotam Ottolenghi – Serves: 4

Ingredients

• FOR THE TOMATO DRESSING:
• 8 ounces/225 grams datterini or cherry tomatoes
• 7 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon white miso
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 9 cardamom pods, shells reserved and seeds roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika or Kashmiri chile powder
• Fine sea salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• FOR THE CUCUMBERS:
• 1¼ pounds/565 grams large Persian cucumbers
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Fine sea salt and black pepper
• 1 small ball burrata or buffalo mozzarella (about 4½ ounces/125 grams), roughly torn
• ¼ cup fresh green onion or cilantro leaves, chopped or sliced

Instructions

1

START WITH THE DRESSING: Add the tomatoes, oil, garlic, miso, bay leaves, cardamom shells and seeds, paprika and a heaping ¼ teaspoon salt to a large (lidded) sauté pan. Place over medium-high heat, give everything a good stir and leave it, uncovered, until it starts to bubble gently.

2

Once bubbling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover with the lid and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring once, until the tomatoes have burst and start to release their juices. Turn down the heat if necessary; you want the garlic to soften without taking on color, and you want the tomatoes to not completely disintegrate. Stir in the lime juice and set aside.

3

GRILL THE CUCUMBERS: Heat a grill pan over high, and ventilate your kitchen well.

4

Halve the cucumbers lengthwise then use a small spoon to scrape out and discard the seeds. Slice each halved cucumber lengthwise into 2 equal pieces, then transfer the cucumber quarters to a bowl and toss with the oil, ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. When the grill pan is very hot, grill them in batches, cut sides down, for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip them over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes more. You want nice grill marks and for the cucumbers to soften but still retain a bite. (You don’t want any floppy cucumbers.) As they’re ready, immediately transfer to the tomato pan, stirring to coat in the dressing.

5

ASSEMBLE: Once they’re all grilled, stir in green onion or cilantro into the pan and transfer the mixture to a large serving platter with a lip. Sprinkle on the torn burrata or mozzarella, along with a good pinch of salt, and tuck the cheese under the cucumbers in places. You can serve this dish hot or at room temperature.

Notes

adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023339-grilled-cucumbers-with-tomato-cardamom-dressing-and-mozzarella