Burrata and rhubarb (or stone fruit) salad

Mild and creamy burrata with the sweet and sour notes of British rhubarb (or in season stone fruits) is such a delicious combination in a salad.
This recipe would make a great starter for 2 or a tasty lunch for 1.
Here are a few notes on the ingredients:

Burrata - meaning “buttered” is an Italian cheese whereby mozzarella is wrapped around a creamier version of mozzarella. The resulting cheese has a mozzarella-like exterior but a super creamy and soft centre. Its mild flavour makes a nice base for salads.
Look for it near the mozzarella in supermarkets.
For best results, season it well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on it. Which brings me nicely onto the next ingredient:

Olive oil - The type of olive oil you use can make or break this recipe. Aim for a milder flavoured olive oil rather than the more bitter versions. Quality is worth paying attention to because a lot of olive oils are oil blends rather than pure olive.
The olive oil I’m using is the newly launched Positively Good For You Spanish olive oil.
As well as having an utterly beautiful flavour, it is also packed with heart-healthy antioxidants. Before you pose the legitimate question of “aren’t all olive oils packed with heart-healthy antioxidants?”, let me just answer this for you. Yes, polyphenols/ antioxidants are present in most olive oils but the longer the olive oil is stored, the more those antioxidants disappear. It is rare for a company to test for the polyphenols, guarantee their presence and provide a best-before date that is a true indication of freshness.
Also, the Positively Good For You olive oil is incredibly well priced (read: it’s cheap) considering the quality and care that goes into every bottle.

Rhubarb or stone fruits - At the time of making this recipe, British rhubarb was in peak season; however, burrata pairs well with any stone fruit. As the seasons change, juicy peaches or nectarines, gooseberries and plums would all work well.
To substitute the rhubarb in this recipe, simply use some grilled or roasted fruit and some raw fruit.
This will provide the best version of that sweet & sour flavour that makes this recipe so nice.

Ingredients (serves 2 as a starter or 1 as a lunch)

1 burrata cheese
2 sticks of rhubarb (or a handful of gooseberries, 1-2 peaches or 2 plums)
Great quality olive oil (I used this one)
5-6 mint leaves, finely sliced
5-6 basil leaves, roughly torn
A small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
3x radishes, thinly sliced
1/3 of a cucumber, thinly sliced
A large handful of watercress or a mix of bitter leaves such as watercress and rocket
A handful of blanched hazelnuts, toasted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

For the dressing:
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Roughly slice 1 stick of rhubarb into 1-2” chunks. Pop this on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 minutes until soft but not falling apart. Allow it to cool slightly.
3. Very thinly slice 1/3 of a stick of rhubarb. This will add a lemon-like flavour and a different texture profile.
4. Put your burrata in the middle of a plate. Cut the shape of a cross in the top of it and pull it apart so it spreads out. Season really well with sea salt and black pepper and drizzle some olive oil over the top of it.
5. Sprinkle the herbs over the burrata.
6. Put the radish, cucumber, raw and roasted rhubarb on top of the burrata.
7. Make the dressing by mixing the maple syrup, olive oil and lime juice. Taste it to check the flavour. It should be sweet to balance the tartness of the rhubarb. If you are using a sweeter stone fruit then you can get away with less maple syrup.
8. Spoon the dressing over the salad.
9. Put a handful of bitter leaves on top. Season again and serve straight away.

Muhammara as a salad base

Muhammara is a Middle Eastern dip made with breadcrumbs, walnuts, charred peppers and pomegranate molasses. It is an utterly delicious combination of sweet and sour flavours with a hint of smokeyness from the peppers.
If you are a regular here or follow me on social, you’ll know my love of adding flavour bases to salads. Muhammara is one that I keep going back to.
Here I added crunchy lettuce leaves, chicken, parsley and toasted seeds to that base to create a wholesome salad that is packed with flavour.
Feel free to swap the chicken for eggs, chickpeas or halloumi. The same thing works with other protein combos.

If you are fond of salads, or are totally bored of them and need new ideas, there is a salad guide here: To the 5* salad guide.

Ingredients for 2:

For the muhammara:
1 slice of bread, toasted and left to cool completely
3 red peppers
1 clove of garlic, crushed
50g of walnuts
1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and sea salt
A pinch of chilli flakes
Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
2 tablespoons of olive oil plus a little extra for drizzling
1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses plus a little extra for drizzling
Freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
2 little gem or 1 cos lettuce
A large handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons of sprouted seeds (like this one, you can find these in most supermarkets on the salad isle)
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, leaves only
3 tablespoons of toasted seeds, I used this one, it’s in most supermarkets
2 chicken breasts, cooked to your liking
Sea salt and black pepper

Method:
1. To make the muhammara, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Put the peppers on a baking tray or ovenproof dish and roast in the oven for 30 minutes until the skin blackens and bubbles up. There is no need to drizzle oil on top and the peppers should be roasted whole.
Set them aside to cool.
3. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them and remove the seeds. Discard the skin and seeds and tear the pepper flesh into strips.
4. Cut the toast into cubes and transfer to a food processor or blender.
Pulse the toast to make breadcrumbs.
5. Add the remaining muhammara ingredients to the blender, season well with freshly ground black pepper and pulse again. Don’t over blend it, it should be chunky, not smooth.
6. Divide the muhammara between two plates, pressing everything down so it is flat on the plate.
7. Drizzle olive oil and extra pomegranate molasses over the top.
8. Divide the salad ingredients between the two plates.
9. Season with sea salt and black pepper and drizzle a bit more olive oil on top if desired.

Cucumber, sesame and smoked tofu salad

Crunchy cucumber with ginger, creamy avocado, hints of chilli/ coriander, edamame, smoked tofu and a lime, soy and sesame oil dressing.
It’s a tasty one.
Give it a go.

Shopping notes:
Edamame is available frozen and may be sold as soya beans. If you can’t find it, frozen broad beans or tinned chickpeas will do the trick too.

Ingredients to feed 2:

1 cucumber, cut into half moons
thumb size piece of ginger (25g), grated

a large handful of coriander leaves
2 spring onions, sliced
150g edamame beans
8 radishes, finely sliced
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1-2 teaspoons of sesame seeds
300g smoked tofu, cubed
sea salt and black pepper to season
rapeseed oil for cooking

For the dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoon of tamari or good quality soy sauce
2 teaspoons of agave or maple syrup
6 teaspoons of sesame oil

Method:
Put the cucumbers into a bowl, season with sea salt and black pepper and squeeze over the juice of the grated ginger. If some of the grated ginger falls in then this isn’t a big deal.
Set this aside whilst you make the rest of the salad.
Put a frying pan on a medium-high heat with a splash of rapeseed oil in it.
Throw in the cubed tofu and cook until crispy on most sides.
Put the frozen edamame beans in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to the boil then take it off the heat and drain. Either run it under some cold water or allow it to cool naturally.
In a large bowl, combine the edamame, spring onion, avocado, radish, chilli and coriander leaves. Season with a small amount of black pepper and stir to combine.
Add the cucumber and stir again.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients and tip this over the salad.
Stir to combine then divide between two plates/ bowls.
Top with the smoked tofu cubes and sprinkle the sesame seeds over it all.