This is more a serving suggestion than an actual recipe, but since I liked it so much I’m sharing it with you anyway. You see, the place where I found imported burrata before, had it again (after a few botched attempts of finding it again). And so after the first success with a recipe featuring burrata from the Bartolini kitchens, I decided to try the other recipe from ChgoJohn’s great blog that features burrata as well: fusilli with ragù alla bolognese and burrata. The key to this of course is to make your own ragù alla bolognese from scratch, using an authentic recipe. It does indeed go very well with the burrata.

This is not an authentic dish from Bologna, as burrata is from the South of Italy. The combination of pasta, ragù and burrata is from further south even, as according to ChgoJohn it is an Australian invention. The combination does make some sense from a Bolognese point of view, as the official recipe for the ragù specifies that you should add cream when serving ragù alla Bolognese over dried pasta rather than fresh tagliatelle. Burrata certainly is creamy. And so I decided to serve the ragù alla bolognese over dried fusilli rather than the traditional fresh tagliatelle. It was lovely and worth repeating. If you have homemade ragù in the freezer (and you should!), this is a quick delicious meal.

Ingredients

For 2 servings

150 grams (1/3 lb) fusilli pasta

1 burrata (250 grams/9 oz)

500 ml (2 cups) homemade ragù alla bolognese

freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

fresh basil for garnish

Preparation

Boil the fusilli al dente in ample salted boiling water according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, gently heat up the ragù over medium heat, stirring.

Drain the pasta once it’s cooked, and add it to the ragù.

Add freshly grated parmigiano.

Toss to mix and turn off the heat.

Serve on warm plates with the burrata on top and serve immediately.

If you are not serving everything at once, follow ChgoJohn’s advice and mix the burrata with the pasta as it would otherwise become lumpy.

Wine pairing

Sangiovese-based wines go well with tomato-based sauces. A Chianti Classico would be nice, but a Sangiovese di Romagna could be even better as it is often more ‘creamy’ in style (to go with the burrata).

Flashback

Two years ago I picked up a bergamot orange and decided to bake cookies with it. As bergamot is also the ingredient that makes Earl Grey tea what it is, it is a great combination.