Reheating Burrata Panzanella!

Talk about a summer salad. For years, working at Hearth restaurant in the East village, there was always a panzanella salad on the menu. It starts with having a good base of roasted veggies- that provides all the concentrated juicy flavor for the bread. Then, you need some brightness, usually coming from lemon juice or vinegar. Tonight, it’s marinated sundried tomatoes. Next, some crunchy leaves. We have gem lettuce from Applefield in your bowls tonight, and we’ve left it nice and big so that you can crunch it up yourselves. Interaction is important. Don’t forget about the bread. Crunchy, roasty, and perfectly garlic-butter-y. Panzanella needs crunchy bread to turn soggy as it absorbs all the moisture and juices from the salad. That’s the best part. Arguably the most important part, cheese. Nothing beats fresh burrata. The burrata, along with the veggies, acts as a dressing to the rest of the salad, coating everything in creamy cheesy goodness. And finally, a fresh pesto to dollop right on top of everything. I’m drooling. Let’s get this over with. 

To prepare, simply dollop pesto all over everything, and mix it all up. There’s no rules. It’s kind of a big mess, this salad, but it’s the kind of mess that you wanna live in. Give it a few cracks of black pepper, and enjoy. 

If you got braised beef ragu:

The idea with this was that it could be warmed up and gently mixed into the salad, using the roasted veggies and bread to absorb some of the juices. It’s also just a really delicious ragu. Basically will go great on anything. Even tonight’s pasta, and I know that’s why some of you ordered it… So, to heat it up, simply warm it over medium heat in a small saucepan or pot. Once it’s hot and steamy, it’s ready. I’d recommend letting it mellow a bit before adding it to your burrata salad, or honestly, just mixing it in cold. If it’s too hot, it might wilt and mute some of the textures and flavors in the salad. But you can figure it out. Your preference is more important than anything that I have to say, so I trust you. Whatever you do, enjoy it. That’s the only rule.

Thanks!