Linguine with Roasted Garlic and Melted Burrata Cheese

You can’t plan to be spontaneous, brilliant, I know, but you can be spontaneously creative when you are somewhat prepared. The other day Hubby and I stopped by a cute little shop and picked up goat cheese medallians (which I turned into croutons), assorted olives, orange peel preserves and hunks of burrata. I didn’t quite have a plan in mind, but knew they were great ingredients to have in the house, and would make a lovely picnic if all else failed.

Last night was one of those fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants cooking for company type evenings. We spent a fun day out with a group of friends, munching on food truck fare and tasting beers from local breweries. When we returned to our home, everyone was in the mood to continue indulging. It was getting close to dinner time and while we were all willing to order in or go out to eat, it felt much more relaxed to whip up a few dishes and stay put. As usual, we raided the fridge and cabinets and got creative. The boys slathered some ribs with BBQ sauce and slapped them on the grill, I prepared parmesan crusted grilled cheese appetizers and everyone snacked on various pickings. When I remembered the burrata, I sprung into action. This is a favorite of ours when we all go to restaurants together, and I knew it would be a hit.

I first fell in love with burrata cheese about a year ago, and have been enamored by the various ways it can be served. Whether over ravioli, mixed greens or crostini, I’ve only had it in its whole form. Typically, it’s plated room temperature and sliced in half so the molten lava effect can be appreciated.

This time, however, I tried something new and warmed it in the oven. The burrata took on an entirely different form when melted down, becoming nearly invisible to the eye, yet incredibly present to the palette.

For this dish, al dente linguine gets tossed in a light coating of olive oil and marries with smooth roasted garlic, fresh parsley and creamy burrata cheese. The simplicity of the preparation really allows the individual flavors to shine, and the richness of the cheese creates a buttery-like sauce when dispersed over the pasta. Bon appetit!

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) box linguine

1/4 cup olive oil + more for roasted garlic

1/2 cup fresh parsley

2 bulbs garlic

8 oz. burrata cheese (2 rounds)

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions:

Roast garlic according to this recipe. Scoop out soft cloves of roasted garlic and mash in a bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Cook linguine according to al dente directions and transfer to a bowl. Coat pasta with olive oil.

Finely chop fresh parsley and toss with linguine.

Add garlic.

Transfer burrata to a baking sheet and cut each ball into quarters. Turn oven off (it will still be hot from the garlic) and melt cheese for one minute.

Add cheese to pasta and toss together.

Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve.

Eat and enjoy your spontaneity!