Ricotta-Stuffed Shells with Burrata, Mushrooms, and Herbs & Perfect Herby Salad

I put this recipe off for as long as possible. Not because it didn’t sound good, but because it has more dairy than anyone should eat in a single meal. I’m talking heavy cream, ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella all filling every imaginable nook and cranny of a 2 quart dish. A delicious stomach ache just begging to happen. 

Well I certainly wasn’t going to eat this one alone. We invited two dear friends over, Elli and Christian, to help us eat it and make it. Why not make the Great Dairy Assembly, as I’m now going to call it, a communal activity? 

Before our friends arrived, I went ahead and started the mushrooms roasting in the oven as well as bringing a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Alison recommends a variety of mushrooms, but I just went for the straightforward pre-sliced baby Bella mushroom cartons at TJ’s. I’ve cooked a lot of her mushroom recipes lately, and I was honestly over spending $7 for 5oz. of little shiitakes. 

I scored some gluten free shells on Amazon, Tinkyada Brown Rice Grand Shells. The packaging says to boil the shells for 15-16 minutes for al dente, so that’s what I did. The edges of the shells were very cooked by that point, but the centers were a little tougher, harder. I definitely didn’t cook them perfectly, but once you’ve poured out the pasta water, it’s hard to go back. Oh well. I did as Alison instructed and poured the newly cooked shells onto an oiled baking sheet to help them cool and not stick together. This mostly worked. 

Now for the Great Dairy Assembly. Elli took each shell and filled it with the Great Dairy Mixture, consisting of ricotta, heavy cream, shaved parmesan, salt and pepper. One by one, she placed them in the baking dish while I desperately tried to arrange them without letting them tip over and spill their filling. Which turned out to be very difficult. Despite the rather al dente state of the pasta, the shells wanted desperately to let the cheese run out. We made a valiant effort to keep them all intact, but it sure was messy. With the shells filled and haphazardly arranged, we stuffed torn pieces of a mozzarella ball into whatever crevices we could find. Next, we poured heavy cream over the dish, followed by the roasted mushrooms. We baked the dish as instructed, about 35 minutes in total. 

Meanwhile, Elli and I prepared the herbs and lemon zest for topping the pasta, as well as Alison’s Perfect Herby Salad. We used lots of parsley, tarragon, and chives. For the salad, I threw in a bag of mixed greens. Alison’s perfect salad dressing is exactly how I dress my salads 90% of the time anyway: olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. It’s truly all I need to enjoy a salad. 

The shells came out bubbling hot and the mushrooms had turned an even richer brown. We topped them with the fresh herb mixture, and yes, more parmesan. The four of us finished off every shell but one, which wasn’t a Minnesota-nice move, I swear — we were just too full to fathom eating one more shell.

206 and 207 recipes cooked, 18 to go.

Burrata Salad Two Ways: Crushed Peas and Tangerines

Two burrata salads, both alike in dignity. Both delicious, one more complex than the other. Both boasting bold ingredients, then tempered by the rich creamy insides of a burrata ball. Both utilizing arugula, one slightly more memorable than the other. 

I’ll start with the most impactful salad: Crushed Peas with Burrata and Black (Green) Olives. 

Yes, I used green Castelvetrano olives here because I like them better than black olives. A whole lot better. I crushed a handful of them and laid them to rest in olive oil while prepping the rest of the salad. Please note that Alison says nothing in the recipe about crushing the olives, but the picture in the book appears to have crushed black olives, so that’s what I did. Plus, I don’t want to eat a whole olive when everything else in the salad is much smaller/crushed. The texture of whole olives just didn’t feel right. 

I used frozen and thawed peas instead of fresh peas. Half of the peas are crushed by hand, (it’s almost as satisfying as crushing canned, whole tomatoes by hand, and less messy) and mixed with the other half of the peas, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. 

I chose arugula, parsley, and tarragon as my greens, since that’s what I had on hand. I tossed them with lemon juice, then set out to arrange the salad. First, tear the burrata into bite-sized pieces and place it in the center of a serving platter. Next, spoon the peas over and around the burrata. Then, scatter the lemony greens over the peas. Finally, spoon the olives and oil over the salad, followed by more oil and flaky salt. I served this salad with Alison’s Pizza Night (post to come) and it was a true hit! Fully of salty, tangy, herby flavor and fun textures that complemented the pizza nicely. I’ll certainly make this one again! 

And finally: Burrata with Tangerines, Shallots, and Watercress

I also used arugula here instead of watercress for convenience reasons. I first marinated the sliced shallots in lemon juice. Then peeled and sliced several tangerines. I arranged the salad in a similar fashion to the one above: torn burrata in the middle, citrus scattered, then greens, then lemony shallots, followed by a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. For those who don’t like funky flavors, this salad is very straightforward and well balanced. It can pair well with a wider range of dishes, compared to the other salad. 

The burrata with tangerines salad feels like something you’d order at a country club, meaning it’s fresh and healthy tasting, but it probably won’t change your life. The burrata and peas salad could easily be ordered at a hip restaurant in Brooklyn, and you might walk away a bit different than before. 

200 and 201 recipes cooked, 24 to go.