Bottega - Michael Chiarello [23]
Roasted Butternut Squash and Mushrooms with Burrata
SERVES 6
I love that burrata complements rich, caramelized autumn vegetables just as easily as it dresses up summer tomatoes, figs, or water-melon. Because it’s so light, it adds the perfect fresh, creamy note to the plate. You can use any combination of mushrooms here. I like matsutakes, chanterelles, shiitakes, or morels but use what looks best at the farmers’ market or in the produce section.
I give the squash a little heat on the stove top before I put it in the oven to roast.
Wine Pairing: A fruity Napa Valley Cabernet
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 cups 1-inch cubes butternut squash (about 2½ pounds)
BROWN-BUTTER VINAIGRETTE
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sea salt, preferably gray salt, or kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus ½ tablespoon if needed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 ½ cups mushrooms, any variety, preferably wild
2 shallots, thinly sliced
Sea salt, preferably gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces (3 balls) burrata
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat and add the butter and the olive oil. When the butter foams, add the squash and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until caramelized and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Slide the pan into the oven and roast until a deeper brown on the edges, about 20 minutes.
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE: Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter, and when it foams, brown the sage for just a minute, and then pour in the vinegar and let it reduce by half. Don’t stir or touch it. Just keep it at a simmer, gently reducing until thickened. When it’s the consistency of a light syrup, add the salt. Turn off the heat but leave the pan on the stove while you sauté the mushrooms.
Heat a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add the 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the butter foams, add the mushrooms and sauté until they begin to release their water, about 8 minutes. Add the shallots to the pan and sauté until brown, 3 to 4 minutes, tossing so they cook evenly. Season with salt and pepper and add another ½ tablespoon of butter if they look dry.
Divide the squash and the mushrooms evenly among 6 plates. Tear the burrata into pieces, scattering them over the vegetables. Drizzle with the vinaigrette.
CABERNET VARIATION: Make Cabernet caviar using Cabernet instead of vinegar in the Balsamic “Caviar,” recipe. Top each plate with 1 tablespoon of the caviar and some minced fresh chives.
“Angry” Ahi Tuna Crudo
SERVES 6
In the United States, soy sauce and sushi are inseparable, but in Japan, sashimi would never get dunked in soy. At Bottega, we ignore the soy sauce, bring out the salt slab, and finish with an “angry” sauce of chiles, basil, garlic, and orange. Serving sashimi on a slab of salt seasons the fish—giving the underside a kiss of salt—while keeping the fish cold, because the salt acts as an insulator. See Resources if you can’t find a salt slab, or put your plate in the freezer so it’s extra cold before you serve the fish on it.
Ask your fishmonger to cut the tuna into brick-shaped rectangles, each about 2 inches long.
You can make the sauce up to an hour beforehand and keep it at room temperature.
Wine Pairing: Riesling
“ANGRY” SAUCE
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tablespoon finely sliced seeded serrano chile
1½ cups fresh basil leaves
Sea salt, preferably gray salt