Marinated Burrata and Tomato: The Rite of Summer

This is the simplest yet finest dish you can put on the table in the summer. It is such a simple and minimal dish that I have to think twice about posting it because it seems — somewhat trivial and insubstantial. But finding the ripe summery tomato and savoring the sweetly intense, juicy tomato, unlike any other throughout the year, gets the full force of my attention. The trick is to find tomato that has never seen the inside of a fridge or a chilled truck, only soil and sun.

Beyond the trick, I think I’ve also uncovered the perfect kind of mozzarella to partner with tomatoes — burrata.

If you’ve never tried it, or have never heard of it, please let me to explain briefly and embellish slightly. Burrata is a ball of mozzarella, stuffed with mozzarella curd scraps and fresh cream inside. Twisting the ball of cheese together in a little knot — and a kiss, seals the whole package. The name “burrata” means “buttered” in Italian. It is mozzarella on the outside with filled cream inside. There is nothing creamier or silkier than burrata. Paired it with the best and juiciest tomato the season has to offer, it’s heavenly. I’ve adapted Ottolenghi’s marinated buffalo mozzarella and tomato recipe and used burrata instead. This simple dish, unabashedly, is the rite of summer in my kitchen.