Burrata. Sounds somewhat obscene, doesn’t it? I guess for a Visayan it would. At any rate, think of a mozzarella di bufala with a core of creamier cheese in the center. Slice into the burrata and the cheese within oozes out, almost like a thick cream. I have never seen it for sale in the Philippines before, and only rarely have I enjoyed it while on trips abroad. It has increasingly shown up in recipes in top food magazines and recent cookbooks, hence the interest. So when a friend and neighbor rang me on my cellphone to ask if we were home, and I said yes, she sent over two marvelous burrata…
Flown in from Italy, they apparently are on offer at one of the purveyors I have featured on marketmanila.com before, but I am not sure if I am at liberty to mention the source just yet. Suffice it to say I was thrilled to get some as a gift, and I had a good idea what I was going to do with the cheese.
On the same day that the burrata arrived at home, I came across baby arugula from “Basic Necessity” at S&R and snapped up two small packets of the arugula. Yes, the variety and quality of ingredients (particularly for foreign ingredients) has definitely improved in Metro-Manila in the past 10 years. I like baby arugula because it has a little bit of peppery bite, but not the almost distasteful mouthful that comes with larger leaves grown in the tropical heat…
With these two “prize” ingredients on hand… what to cook, what to cook… up next.
27 Responses
Hi MM,
I haven’t seen those before. Can’t wait for your next post.
I haven’t heard of burrata before. Looking forward to what you’ll come up with these ingredients. :)
I cannot wait for what happens next. The burrata looks amazing. I can only imagine what kind of reception burrata could get in Manila (if ever it becomes popular), even among cheese-skeptics.
your description of burrata makes my mouth water! (your right though, it has a funny name!)waaaaaaah! next post! next post… please! :)
You should try the micro arugula from Market!Market!, Fresh Fields I think. Quite expensive but they look nice when plated. Just make sure to wash it well since there’s quite a bit of sand.
wanna try this. thanks for posting. i saw MF partaking this in one of the pics somewhere.
hi MM! my brother and I made mozzarella di buffala 3 weeks ago and the end product that we got was a ricotta-like cheese. Do you have a simple recipe (with ingredients that are found locally) that we can make? Thanks in advance
hi MM! I’ve seen an episode on tv, where Jamie Oliver just opened it up, and mixed it with steamed greens (i think spinach and some other Italian veggies) and minced anchovies with olive oil
Zoi…if you want to now where to get this, call Bosa foods in Burnaby and phone first…it is flown in from Italy and since it is highly perishable, it is sold really immediately. Another one is Market Meats on West. 4th. But I would buy it at Bosa since it is a busy place so the turnover is really fast and therefore really fresh! Another one is Scardillo…somewhere on Hastings…I think it is locally made …so call first if they have freshly made fresh mozarella or burrata done in the morning…best day to call is MOndays!
In Duncan, there is a farm that has water buffalo herd and the milk is turned into fresh mozzarella by nearby Natural Pastures…I think it is available at Whole Foods and could be at Thrifty’s since it is an Island grocery chain.
Yummy I know who gave it to you!!! MF……. I think its still available at Lusso in greenbelt. I got mine from Igourmet.com here in NYC .. you should try in on a Bruschetta with roasted fresh figs sea salt and fresh ground peeper and a few drops of good olive oil..
I had burrata in Umbria this summer and loved it!
actually just saw last night the same episode of jamie oliver’s trip to italy as denise, yep he served it with steamed local greens and anchiovies and olive oil dip…
Mmm…I love burrata–but as bettyQ mentioned it is HIGHLY perishable so do be careful as to your source.
Marketman–the peppery bite of arugula is very dependent on the variety, not just the age at which the leaves are harvested. I do think many producers harvest way too late…all arugula is best harvested young to use raw, older tougher/more pungent leaves are fine for cooking. I’ve grown a few varieties over the years and the taste spectrum is surprisingly wide.
this cheese looks yummy! hmm i’m gonna try and get my hands on one here in melbourne if i’m lucky enough =) is it bland tasting like a normal mozzarella MM?
Ellen, bland but creamy and almost a twinge of sweetness… kurzhaar, yes, I agree different varieties, different levels of pepperiness. However, for some reason, growing arugula, basil, etc. in tropical Philippine soil in tropical heat adversely affects their flavor. I know from personal experience, as we have raised arugula from seed several times and if it gets beyond a couple of inches, I find it is almost inedible. And mind you, I like bitter vegetables, but not overpoweringly so… Egads, how bizarre is that, two of you figured out who GAVE it us. :) chloe, I don’t have a recipe and have never tried it myself, but I have seen it made and if you weren’t stretching it and building up your muscles more intensely than a few hours at the gym, that would explain the lack of elasticity of your cheese… Gerry, yes, I have tried the micro arugula of Fresh Fields and posted on it before…
what a treat and what good friends you have!
baby arugula…. yummy!!!!!!!
Basic Necessity Salad Time is a local company. Their salad greens are hydrophonically farmed. Here’s a link to a feature= https://spillsandspiels.com/2010/07/11/a-good-harvest/
Thank you always for bringing the new and the traditional (of other cultures) Always good to learn from you and the readers of this blog.
MM, when you finally are at liberty to mention the source, do let us know, will you? :-) that picture is just absolutely beautiful! i wonder if we can produce it here, with our good ol’ kalabaws.
Yummy goodness. I grill or toast some artisan bread, rub both sides with fresh garlic, top it with sliced tomatoes and basil, some sea salt and a chunk of mozzarella di bufala.
ENYA, yes the arugula is local, sorry, forgot to mention that. basic Neessity has a packaging plant on the Silang road up to Tagaytay. You can sometimes stop there and buy whatever they have in at that time.
i love burrata :) the restaurant i used to work at had a supplier that made it right in her own home and she would customize them for us by adding honey, lavender and chili to the center cheese. When in season we would also have one with figs made. *heaven* Served with a tossed salad and crostini.
Mygad, MM. Cheese inside cheese. After that you can just crawl up and go to sleep in your own little corner and not care about waking up. This is stuff of last suppers. :) Speaking of which, knowing you have been where you have been, would this be on your last supper table, MM? Just curious. :P
i noticed that baby arugula has mild taste, good for salads only. i tried using it in my arugula & basil lasagna,didnt give much punch. maybe i shouldnt have blanched it. but in pizzas, isnt better to use to local big ones? generates a better taste combined with parma ham.
Wood fire oven baked thin crust pizza will be good for those burrata then once cooked top it with parma ham and arragula then sprinkle with truffle infuse olive oil
Anyone interested in Burrata , can txt or call me 09154934039. Leandro’s Artisanal Buffalo Cheese maker of Buffalo Mozzarella , Burrata .