The Great Pasta-Making Obsession Continues

Burrata is an Italian cheese that is basically mozzarella curds wrapped in mozzarella. It is an incredibly delicious cheese that unfortunately must be eaten fresh. And since it is mostly made in Italy, that makes it surprisingly difficult to obtain in the states. After a long quest to find it, I ended up buying it from Dino, an amazing Italian restaurant in Cleveland Park that imports burrata weekly. It was definitely worth the search. It completely makes this dish. The mozzarella curds mix in with the sauce and make it creamy and yummy.

Fettuccine Pomodoro with Burrata

makes 4 generous servings

Pasta Dough

5 cups flour

6 eggs

Add all of the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on a low speed for several minutes, or until a ball forms. Switch the attachment to a kneading hook. Knead on low speed for about 10 minutes (this is important because it helps the glutens form. Pour the contents of the bowl out onto large sheet of plastic wrap and knead by hand several times to make it into a ball. Wrap in the plastic and let it rest for at least 30

minutes.

After the dough has rested, cut it into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, flatten it and shape it into a kind of rectangle shape. Using a pasta maker attachment on a kitchen aide mixer, feed the dough through on the largest setting. Continue to feed it through, reducing the setting by one each time until you get to the 6^th setting. Switch the pasta attachment to fettuccine and feed the pasta sheets through. Lay the pasta out to dry- I used the backs of chairs.

Pomodoro Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more if you like spice)

1 can crushed san marzano tomatoes

¼ cup crème fraiche

½ cup basil, cut into chiffonade

½ cup grated parmesan

2 pieces of burrata, cut in half*

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir frequently so the garlic does not burn. Once the garlic becomes somewhat translucent, add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for about a half hour until the sauce has thickened. Add the crème fraiche and basil, toss with the fettuccine and serve with the burrata and parmesan.

*If you don’t wish to embark on an epic journey to find burrata, you can replace with mozzarella…but it won’t be as good.