There's still a lot of zucchini being picked right now and here's another way to use them. This dish is super simple and you can whip it together in no time. Grilling the zucchini is the only real cooking you have to do in this dish and the rest is just assembling the ingredients. The grilled zucchini is topped with creamy, luscious burrata - mozzarella balls stuffed with cream and shreds of mozzarella. The dish is topped with marinated cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and fresh basil. It's a beautiful and delicious dish and you can serve it as a side for dinner or as a meal on its own for lunch.
The zucchini slices are scored lightly with the tip of a very sharp knife.
The scoring allows the seasoning and oil to penetrate the zucchini.
Grilled Zucchini with Burrata, Tomato & Toasted Pine Nuts
for a printable recipe, click here
serves 4 - 6
4 medium zucchini
4 ounces burrata
about 12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3 Tablespoons pine nuts
a few leaves of fresh basil, julienned or torn into pieces
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Trim the zucchini ends. Stand the zucchini upright. Using a sharp knife, remove a thin slice of the skin on one side, then you can start making the slices you will use. Slice the zucchini into 1/4" - 3/8" slices. You will get 3 slices from each zucchini. Lightly score the zucchini slices in a diagonal pattern on both sides. Brush each side of zucchini with a little olive oil. Season generously both sides with salt and pepper.
Place the cherry tomatoes in a small bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts. Shake the pan as you toast them and keep checking until they are golden, about 5 minutes or so. Be careful - they can go from golden to burnt very quickly. Set aside in a small bowl to cool.
toast the pine nuts until golden
Drain the burrata and place in a bowl. Season with some salt and pepper. The burrata will be at its best when you add a little salt, so don't skimp on this.
Heat a stovetop grill or you can cook these outdoors on a grill. Cook the zucchini slices until there are nice grill marks on each side, about 3 minutes a side over medium high heat. Place the zucchini on a large serving platter, in one layer.
Assemble the dish by breaking up the burrata over the zucchini and scattering the tomatoes and pine nuts. If you wanted to add another layer of richness, you can drizzle a little olive oil over the whole thing. Sprinkle the basil pieces over the whole dish. Taste the burrata and, if needed, add a little more salt. Serve at room temperature.
