The Internet is buzzing with backlash to a New York Magazine article titled, “Burrata is So Boring.”
Of course, the actual article is more nuanced than its clickbait-y title. It’s not saying burrata — the fresh mozzarella stuffed with more mozzarella scraps and cream — is bad, per se. But the author begs restaurants to offer something new instead of “a thick blob of cold dairy that gets a few splashes of seasonal garnishes and a $20 price tag.”
The author is careful to add, “I don’t blame restaurateurs — many of whom are only just starting to recover from the financial toll of the pandemic — for banking on easy crowd-pleasers, but I find myself wishing more people would try to do something different.”
My take? Most people don’t go out to eat as often as a restaurant-focused food writer does, so they don’t see burrata nearly as often. When they do go out, they want something that feels like a treat and is reliably delicious. Hence, burrata.
I’ll be curious to see if this has the lasting effect of Paul Giamatti’s famous temper tantrum in the movie, Sideways. “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I’m NOT drinking f*cking Merlot!”
My guess? Probably not.
Merlot was the safe red wine of the 90s: Dry but plushy and generally inoffensive. A contrast to the sweet wines beloved by the masses in the past. It was also easy for winemakers to make an inexpensive version that tasted pretty good.
People ordered Merlot until Giamatti inspired them to try Pinot Noir.
The changeover was instantaneous. I worked in a wine store then, and customer after customer came in looking to switch up their weekly Merlot with Pinot Noir.
Nevermind that the movie ends with Giamatti drinking one of the world’s great Merlot blends: Cheval Blanc from Bordeaux. And that people were generally better off with cheap Merlot than cheap Pinot Noir, but that’s another story.
Burrata, however, still inspires swooning. People love burrata. I’m not so sure most people ever loved Merlot.
Anyway, I was working on this recipe that included burrata when NY Mag released its article.
The recipe came about because I was thinking about the time I tasted Missy Robbins’s Orecchiette with Marinated Eggplant, Burrata, and Chiles while in the test kitchen at Food & Wine.
That cool cream against the hot pasta felt novel at the time. I also loved how she finished her dish with fragrant lemon zest, fruity red chiles, and heady marjoram, a trio of ingredients that sang beautifully together.
In the end, my recipe is…nothing like that pasta (which you should totally try), even though it includes red chiles, lemon, and eggplant.
At first, I simply wanted to combine eggplant, harissa, and burrata. As I played, I ended up wanting a little bit more sweetness, so I blended the harissa with barbecue sauce and a bit of olive oil, which formed a bronze glaze on the eggplant. Then, with the sweetness, I wanted more tang, and so came the lemony quick-pickled shallots.
The eggplant ended up being so tasty that my daughter — a self-professed eggplant hater — enjoyed it.
To turn this into a full meal, I served it over tiny black lentils (aka caviar lentils).
The most annoying part of the recipe is that you need to flip the eggplant so many darn times, but I don’t see another way. Eggplant is best when it’s soft and a little bit charred, so it needs time to cook through before you glaze it. If you glaze it from the start, it will likely burn.
I like to grill it, if I can, but if you’re too tired to move the potted plants off the grill, like I am most of the time, or if it’s starting to storm, like it’s seems to always be doing around dinner time, you can use a broiler, too. (I’ve put both methods below.).
So, tell me, are you on team burrata or nada?
Harissa Barbecue Eggplant with Lentils, Pickled Shallots, and Burrata
Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4
I think 4 ounces of burrata for 4 people is plenty, but some people in my house disagree, so I’ve offered a range.
1 ½ cups small black lentils
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium shallot
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, Champagne, or rice vinegar
2 medium eggplant (about 1 ½ pounds total)
¼ cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon harissa
4 to 8 ounces burrata
Flaky salt
Small handful mint leaves
Cook the lentils
In a medium saucepan, cover the lentils by 2 inches with water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Smash and peel the garlic cloves and add them to the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium so the water simmers.
Cover the pot partially and cook until the lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the lentils and return to the pot. Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil and taste. Season with more salt, if desired.
Meanwhile, prep the shallots, eggplant, and sauce
Cut the shallot in half lengthwise and peel it. Thinly slice the shallot into half moons. In a small bowl, toss the shallots with sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt, then stir in the vinegar. Let stand while you prep and cook the eggplant.
Remove the top stem from the eggplant. Cut the eggplant in half crosswise, then cut the halves lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slabs. (If desired, you can peel the end pieces so only a few strips of skin remain.) In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
In a small bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, harissa, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Cook the eggplant
Light a grill and preheat over medium high heat or set a rack 2 to 3 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler over high heat.
If you’re grilling the eggplant, oil the grates well, then arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the grates. Grill until grill marks form and the bottom flesh is softer, about 4 minutes. Flip and grill until the eggplant is tender throughout, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Brush the top of the eggplant with barbecue sauce and flip the eggplant. Grill until the sauce forms a bronzed glaze and the edges of the eggplant become a little bit crispy, about 1 minute. Brush the top side with barbecue sauce and flip and cook again for about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a plate.
If you’re broiling the eggplant, set a baking rack on top of a baking sheet and arrange the eggplant slices on top in a single layer. Broil the eggplant until it’s well-browned on top, about 5 minutes. Flip the eggplant and broil until the other side is browned, 4 to 5 minutes longer.
Brush the top of the eggplant with barbecue sauce and broil until it looks deliciously glazed, about 1 minute. Flip and brush the other side with sauce and broil until glazed, about 1 minute longer.
Assemble the dish
Spoon the lentils onto a platter.
Top with the eggplant slices. Pull apart the burrata and arrange it around the platter on top of the eggplant. Sprinkle the burrata with flaky salt.
Scatter some of the pickled shallots on top. Tear up the mint leaves and garnish the dish, then serve, passing more pickled shallots at the table.
The short(er) version
Cook the lentils in well-seasoned water with smashed garlic cloves. Dress with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with more salt, if desired.
Thinly slice the shallot and toss with the sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and lemon juice.
Cut the eggplant in half crosswise, then into ¼-inch-thick lengthwise slabs. Toss them with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
In a small bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, harissa, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Grill or broil the eggplant until tender, then brush one side with the sauce. Grill or broil until glazed, then brush and cook the other side.
Pile the lentils on a platter. Set the eggplant on top. Pull apart the burrata and arrange on top. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Scatter some of the pickled shallots on top. Tear up the mint leaves and garnish the dish, then serve, passing more pickled shallots at the table.
Fun for kids
Toss the eggplant with olive oil and salt.
Mix together the pickled shallots.
Mix together the sauce.
Pull apart the burrata.
Tear the mint and garnish.
Swaps
Instead of black lentils, use lentils de Puy or serve with white beans warmed with olive oil.
Instead of barbecue sauce, try ketchup. I did not try ketchup here, but I bet it would be pretty delicious.
Instead of shallots, use a few tablespoons thinly sliced red onion.
If you can’t find burrata, just skip it. (Yes, you could try goat cheese or feta but it will be very different.)
Instead of mint leaves, try basil.
Bonus points
If you wanted to dress up the lentils with herbs or saute some more shallots or onion to toss with them, that would be delicious.
You could also add the vinegar used to pickle the shallots to the lentils, if you like. I prefer it sprinkled on so you get some bites with the vinegar and some bites without, but I’ll leave it to you!
I wholeheartedly agree with your thoughts on burrata! Even here in Italy now you see burrata (with a shower of finely chopper pistachios) almost everywhere, but I still find it interesting and undoubtedly delicious! And what a lovely recipe, these eggplants 😍😍