While scrolling through Facebook, I ran into a great quote about travel, “I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” Mary Ann Radmacher’s words captured that moment of awe I felt while standing in Parma, Italy. The same feeling hit me in Paris, London, Havana and even in San Diego. Travel is life changing. The trip to Italy, though, was special. My coworkers and I were there to celebrate food. We saw prosciutto in all its stages of curing, massive copper vats of local milk turned into Parmigiano Reggiano, curds pressed into forms and inoculated with a special penicillin to make creamy Gorgonzola Dolce, and we learned how to stretch mozzarella to make burrata. Our meals were hosted by the cheese and prosciutto makers, with course after course of cheese and regional delights, plenty of wine and delightful desserts.
Burrata with Balsamic, Tomatoes and Basil
Burrata is available at many grocery stores. It’s a shell of fresh mozzarella, filled with cream and stracchiatella (strands of fresh mozzarella). Place the burrata on a serving plate and cut it into four quarters. The fillings will spill out, so use a big enough plate to capture the delicious filling. Drizzle it with a good balsamic, chopped tomatoes and a generous handful of freshly chopped basil leaves. Top it with a little salt and pepper, and serve with slices of artisan bread or crackers.
Amy Goetz is a FoodE Expert for Lunds & Byerlys Woodbury. She helps customers with recipe ideas, teaches cooking classes and plans events. She writes about food and recipes.
