03.19.13: dinner (sabor de soledad, burrata on a salad edition).

Arugula salad with citrus, burrata, and prosciutto

Michael has been spending the bulk of the week in Virginia on business, and so I’m on my own when it comes to dinner from Tuesday through yesterday. In my ongoing efforts to avoid defaulting to pasta, I queued up a few recipes that have sat on the bench that is my recipe board on Pinterest, and so instead of eating all of the pasta this week, I am eating all of the cheese. It’s still healthy if it’s part of a salad, right? (I kid. Of course I know the answer to that question. It’s yes.)

First up: the salad above teeming with citrus segments, slices of prosciutto, and torn pieces of burrata. I considered it my consolation prize as Michael and our dear friend LT were going to one of José Andrés’ restaurants for dinner that night, and as much as I enjoy cooking along with him via his PBS show and many cookbooks, I’m dying to try his food in person. It should also go without saying that I would have loved to been in the company as well, but I’m going to say it anyway.

I first encountered this recipe while browsing through Borough Market’s recipe collection one Saturday when I was looking for inspiration; loving how accessible the ingredient list was, I squirreled it away for a rainy/lonely day when I could eat stringy cheese with impunity. One of the very few regrets I had about our first trip to London was that we were there the two days a week the market was closed, but it’s all the more reason to get back there sooner rather than later in order to experience it in all of its vibrancy. In the meantime, I’ve made this salad: as the chef who submitted the original recipe mentioned, it could be adapted to any taste, and to any season; the key is selecting quality ingredients. You will spend some money when you buy the burrata, but one or two tastes and you will quickly understand why: this is simply among the best fresh cheese you will ever eat.

That all of these ingredients played so nicely with the sherry-garlic vinaigrette inspired by José Andrés was a sheer stroke of luck, but in retrospect should I really have been that surprised?

Arugula Salad with Citrus, Burrata, and Prosciutto with Sherry-Garlic Citrus Vinaigrette

adapted from Borough Market’s website  and Tapas

serves one as a meal, two as a side

• 2 cups arugula, washed and spun dry
• 2 clementines, segmented (keep remains for juicing)
• 1 Valencian orange, segmented
• 2 oz prosciutto, torn
• 1/2 ball burrata, torn (wait until salad is ready to do this)
• 2-3 TBS garlic-sherry vinaigrette (recipe follows)
• Sea salt (optional)

Segment the citrus: using a paring knife, cut the bottom and top of the fruit, and then carefully cut along the pith around the fruit to reveal the segments. Cut away as much of the white pith as possible. Then, using the white lines in the fruit as a cutting guide, segment the citrus, but beware of any seeds. Place onto small plate and set aside, also reserving the remains of the clementines.

Make the dressing below. Dress the greens with the dressing alone, then arrange on a plate with the segments and the prosciutto, and then tear the cheese over all of it. Serve immediately, and garnish with sea salt if desired.

Sherry-Garlic-Citrus Vinaigrette

Adapted from José Andrés, via Tapas

• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons plus 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of sherry vinegar
• Juice of two clementines, plus remains of segmented clementines
• Kosher salt

In a small saucepan, heat two tablespoons of oil and gently cook the garlic until golden brown, and add to a blender carafe. Also add the sherry and the juice, and start to blend the dressing. Drizzle in the rest of the olive oil (use less if you desire), blend well, and then stop and add some salt to taste. Blend again briefly, and use immediately.