Name: Burrata with char-grilled eggplant
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6 - 8
Ingredients: 2 eggplant, cut into 5mm-8mm slices; 80 gm stale crustless sourdough, coarsely diced; 140 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tsp dried chilli flakes; 2 tsp dried wild oregano; 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; 4 balls (125gm each) burrata; ¾ cup (loosely packed) basil, torn

“We only put this on the menu at Sagra during spring and summer,” says Glenn Choy, “and you can really taste the difference in milk quality of the cheese when the cows or buffalo have been eating the new spring grass and summer wildflowers. In Puglia, the dedicated nonnas line up at the latteria in the mornings to get the freshest burrata for the family Sunday lunch. In this case, the creaminess plays against the slightly bitter, chargrilled eggplant. Pangrattato adds texture and helps to mop up any leftover oil and curds.”

Ingredients

2 eggplant, cut into 5mm-8mm slices

80 gm stale crustless sourdough, coarsely diced

140 ml extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tsp dried wild oregano

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 balls (125gm each) burrata

¾ cup (loosely packed) basil, torn

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 150C. Lightly salt eggplant slices, stack on top of each other in a colander, weight with something heavy and set aside to draw out excess moisture (25-30 minutes).

2.To make pangrattato, toss bread with 2 tbsp olive oil and garlic, season to taste, then spread on an oven tray and roast until golden (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool (10-12 minutes), then pound with a mortar and pestle to a crumble consistency (or you can pulse bread in a food processor).

3.Heat a barbecue or char-grill pan over high heat. Combine 80ml oil, half the dried chilli, and half the oregano in a bowl. Pat eggplant dry with paper towels, brush with oil mixture and grill in batches until tender and charred (4-6 minutes). Remove from grill and transfer to a large tray and drizzle with red wine vinegar and remaining dried chilli and oregano. Cover with plastic wrap and set eggplant aside for flavours to develop (10-15 minutes).

4.Arrange burrata and eggplant on a platter, scatter with pangrattato, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, top with basil and season well.