This wonderful dish was lemony and rich with burrata. I must confess that the “burrata hack” I shared in my last post was not a true match to the real thing. 
This recipe was adapted from Bringing it Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating by Gail Simmons with Mindy Fox. I increased the garlic and decreased (gasp!) the burrata.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound dried orecchiette (can substitute fusilli, cavatelli, gemelli, or conchiglie)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 T unsalted butter
- 4 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 pound (about 1 large or 2 small bunches) Swiss chard, leaves sliced into 2-inch pieces, ribs and stems thinly sliced crosswise
- freshly grated zest from 3-4 lemons
- 3 T fresh lemon juice
- 3 T freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 8 oz burrata cheese
- 1/2 cup torn or sliced basil leaves
- coarsely ground black pepper
- In a large saucepan of well-salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted.
- Add the garlic, pepper flakes, and 3/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add half of the chard leaves and stems and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the greens are wilted.
- Add the remaining chard leaves and stems, the lemon zest, and the lemon juice. Cook, stirring, until all of the chard is just wilted. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Reserving 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot.
- Add the chard to the pasta along with the reserved pasta water; cook over medium heat, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Adjust the seasoning, to taste.
- Place in a serving dish and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Cut the burrata into chunks.
- Top the pasta with the burrata and sprinkle with the basil leaves. Additional lemon zest can be added as well, if desired. Serve.
thebrookcook 