Roasted Beets With Burrata + Pistachios
Roasted beets with burrata and pistachios: these are a few of my favorite things. There is nothing all that fancy or complicated going on here, just a salad, but a fantastic one. Earthy flavors combined with creamy delicious burrata cheese to make the perfect pairing. It’s a simple dish I could honestly live on all year-long.
I am a huge beet fan generally, but I especially love them in the winter months. Beets are a sweet, hearty root vegetable ideal for roasting and they cook perfectly with almost no help at all. While I do enjoy a great fresh mozzarella, burrata has, in recent years, become my new go-to. Burrata, known as a modern cheese, is a fresh Italian cheese made from cow or water buffalo milk. The outer layer is solid mozzarella, while the inside contains stracciatella , (“shreds” or “rags” and cream), giving it a special, soft, creamy texture inside.
Burrata is considered a pulled cheese like mozzarella, but it is made in a unique way. Once the cooked curd is divided into pieces, the cheesemaker immerses them in very hot water and a pouch is formed. Cream and scraps of mozzarella is poured inside and the pouch is closed by pinching the top together, making a traditional pear-shaped sack.
The Bianchini family is credited for having inventing burrata in 1950 somewhat by accident, although some argue it was a way to minimize waste (and likely increase profits). The Bianchinis farmed in the Apulia district of Italy and for years this specialty cheese was only available to local people who lived near their farm.
Eventually, nearby cheese factories caught on and began producing buratta as well, using up their leftover scraps from the mozzarella making process. Like many things, the word got out, and this premium specialty cheese began getting exported to the United States. Burratta began appearing on US menus in early 2006 but did gain real recognition as a “culinary trend” until 2011.
The real trick with serving burrata is temperature. Fresh burrata should always be served at room temperature to maximize the flavor profile and creamy nature of this incredible cheese.
Recipe: Roasted Beets With Burratta + Pistachios
Ingredients:
- 7 large red beets, ends trimmed
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
- 2 large Burrata
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
- Flur de sol
- Microgreens, any variety, for garnish
Directions:
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Scrub the beets and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes. Note, the cooking time may vary slightly based on the size of the beets. You know the beets are fully cooked when a pairing knife inserted into the beet comes out easily without resistance.
- Step 2 Remove the beets from the oven, open foil and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to peel the beets. Trim the ends removing any hard spots. Cut the beets into smaller bite size pieces about 1/2-inch in size. Place the beets on a large serving platter.
- Step 3 Drizzle the beets with the olive oil. Place the buratta on top of the beets. Sprinkle the chopped dill and pistachios on top. Finish with some flur de sol and garnish with microgreens. Serve room temperature.
Andrea, this looks great! I saw your photo and link on the FB Cook’s Cook Community page. I especially like golden beets that have been roasted- adding the pistachios and burrata cheese would really make it tasty! (Fran from ‘G’day Souffle’ blog).
Hi Fran. Thanks for checking out my recipe. I am also a golden beet lover–so good any and all! Happy cooking.