What is burrata?
Burrata is simply mozzarella, but filled with extra cream. Burrata originated in the southern Puglia region and in recent years it has become a true delicacy of Italian cuisine. By adding cream, both the taste and the structure of burrata are much softer than regular mozzarella. In addition, real buffalo milk is used for burrata in most cases, unlike most mozzarellas you can buy in the supermarket. The nice thing about burrata is that when you cut it open, the cream spills out, yummy! Truly delicious in combination with smoked tomatoes.
Preparation of smoked tomatoes with burrata
For this recipe we use the Barbecook Oskar. Thanks to the Barbecook charcoal starter, the smoker is ready for use within 15 minutes.
Cut the tomatoes in half and roll them in some olive oil. Chop the fine sprigs of thyme and rosemary and season the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in a Barbecook grill pan and place the pan on the upper grid of the Oskar, fill the water dish for ¾ with water. Wrap some water-soaked Barbecook olive smoking chips in aluminium foil, poke a few holes in it, place on your charcoal and close the smoker. Thanks to the adjustable air supply at the bottom and top of the appliance, you retain full control throughout the process. It’s important that the temperature in the smoker doesn’t exceed 100 °C. You can easily monitor this via the built-in thermometer. Check regularly to see if there is enough water left in the dish and whether you need to add some extra smoking chips. After two hours, the smoked tomatoes can be taken out of the smoker. Let them cool down.
Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the marinade and rub the other tomatoes with it. Let the herbs soak in for a moment. Add the raw tomatoes, pine nuts and capers. Finally, also add the smoked tomatoes and serve with the burrata and balsamic cream.
Refreshing and delicious!
Variations
Not a fan of smoked tomatoes? This recipe is also delicious with smoked eggplant or sweet pepper. The possibilities are endless.
Not a fan of creamy burrata? Then choose mozzarella or feta.
Be sure to also check out our recipe of smoked beets with buffalo mozzarella and basil oil.
