Smoked burrata with golden beetroot, grains and pickled greengages

  • medium
  • 6
  • 1 hour 15 minutes
Not yet rated

Anna Hansen's glorious salad is bursting with flavour and texture. Wedges of roasted golden beetroot add earthy notes, while pickled greengages add a tartness. Both spelt and buckwheat add a nuttiness and crunch to the creamy texture of the smoked burrata, which is finished off with an unusual verjuice (or verjus), yuzu and argan oil dressing.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 375g of burrata, smoked (approx. 3 balls, each 125g)
  • mixed salad leaves

Pickled greengages

Golden beetroot

Spelt

Dressing

Toasted buckwheat

  • 100g of buckwheat, soaked in cold water in the fridge overnight
  • Maldon salt
  • 1 pinch of sumac
  • rapeseed oil

Method

1
Start with the pickled greengages as these need at least 48 hours to develop. Place all of the ingredients except the greengages in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes
2
Meanwhile place the greengages in sterilised jars – this will make several jars which can be stored for a few weeks once sealed – and pour over the hot pickling liquid, discarding the flavourings. Seal the jars and leave for at least 48 hours
3
During this time you can also soak the spelt and buckwheat in separate bowls of cold water overnight. Once soaked, drain both through a sieve
  • 500g of spelt, soaked in cold water in the fridge overnight
  • 100g of buckwheat, soaked in cold water in the fridge overnight
4
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
5
For the golden beetroot, place the beetroot in a roasting tray and drizzle with the cider vinegar and water. Cover with foil and roast for 45 minutes
6
Allow to cool slightly, then peel the cooked beetroot, cut into wedges, toss with the chardonnay vinegar and some seasoning then set aside
7
For the spelt, add a little olive oil to a large pan, then sweat down the vegetables with the spices. Once aromatic, add the drained spelt and mix well
8
Add enough water to cover and simmer until the spelt is tender (20–25 minutes). Remove from the heat and drain off any excess liquid, then remove the vegetables but keep the spices in with the spelt
9
For the dressing, bring the verjuice, Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce, mirin and cardamom pods to a boil in a small pan. Allow the liquid to reduce by half, then allow to cool slightly before whisking in the yuzu juice and argan oil
10
Heat a little rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the drained buckwheat and fry for 30 seconds then drain through a sieve. Fry the buckwheat two more times to ensure the grains are cooked through and crisp on the outside
  • rapeseed oil
11
Drain any excess oil after the third time and sprinkle with a little Maldon salt and a pinch of sumac. Once cool, the buckwheat can be stored in an airtight container until ready to use
12
To serve, allow all the ingredients to come to room temperature. Add a few golden beetroot wedges to each plate and a few spoonfuls of the pickled greengages and cooked spelt. Add a handful of mixed salad leaves, and tear over half a ball of smoked burrata each. Sprinkle over the toasted buckwheat and the dressing to serve
  • mixed salad leaves
  • 375g of burrata, smoked (approx. 3 balls, each 125g)

Whether you call it 'fusion', 'global' or 'basically indescribable' is beside the point; Anna Hansen's food is without a doubt fresh and adventurous - you might even call it modern.

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