When we (Angel and I) caught wind of the fact that Estelaās self-titled cookbook was going out of print, we ordered ours together in a mad dash. Already lauded among many New Yorkers as their favorite restaurant, myself included, the chance to bring home those few staple dishes always on the menu was too big to pass up.
That was a year ago. I have yet to touch the poor book.
After a dreary Sunday full of errands that didnāt seem to pass the time, I pulled it off my top shelf and leafed through to pages in search of something comforting, both in the nature of ingredients and also the fact that Iāll be instantly transported to hunkering down in a dimly lit booth on East Houston. And there she was: Burrata āSalsa Verdeā with Charred Bread.
Iāll preface this by saying I did not see that a juicer was required for this recipe, and the result of substituting for a food processor was more of a minced bed of greens than the earthy liquid these toasts were supposed to sit inā¦I digress.
What I find hilarious about this recipe is that it sits among some of the favorites, between the yuzu mignonette oysters and that insane endive salad, yet Ignacio said heās shocked when anyone orders this at all. Itās an appetizer, but itās NOT a light choice. The real recipe calls for a topping of sweet potato leaf, but I ended up dousing mine in Hot Honey because Iām a heathen.
Thereās obviously a reason I shared the real picture after showing my version, but at least these burrata peaks and olive oil dabs are looking quite similar.
Now, without further ado, Iāll do a write-up on how I made these tonight. Just by memory so as to not showcase too much from my magical, out-of-print book baby.
Burrata āSalsa Verdeā with Charred Bread (as per Rebeccaās memory)
Make the base soup first. Juice a bunch of celery, a cup of sorrel, and a quarter cup of fresh chives. Add two tablespoons of pickling liquid from Thai chiles and set aside!
Meanwhile, take a big burrata ball and tear that boy in HALF in a small bowl. Add two tablespoons of creme fresh into that mixture, and give it a kind of choppy stir until itās lightly combined, breaking the cheese up.
Sourdough time. Toast two or three slices on a cast iron skillet in EVOO until crispy on both sides. Once done, take a raw garlic clove and scrape it across the face of each. You can hear the garlic sizzle a bit while you do this.
Ladle some of the liquid from step one into a shallow bowl. Put your charred bread (cut each slice in half) in the bowl on top of the liquid.
Top the bread with your burrata mixture, fresh EVOO, lots of lemon zest, and a bit of flakey salt.
EAT, EAT, EAT!!!!
Happy Sunday yāall <3
Love this!! Where do I buy sorrel?!