A different type of mozzarella...

The other evening my Italian man came over for dinner. When I say dinner, I mean the light meal at about 9.30pm that most Italians eat, usually consisting of some kind of bread, some meat, tomatoes, or other salad/vegatable.

He bustled in with a big bag full of goodies, claiming that he had something different for me to try.

He pulled out what looked like a big ball of mozzarella. So far so good. i can't get enough of the stuff.

But then he cut into it. And a creamy like substance flowed out from inside the mozzarella 'shell'.

What's wrong with that mozzarella?! I may have said, somewhat concerned.

Don't panic, it's really good. He explained that this particular mozzarella is typical to Puglia, and it's called 'burrata'- because its like butter. You eat it fresh, and at room temperature.

Have you tried it? I asked.

Well, not exactly.....but I've heard good things...

So, we sliced up some nice crusty bread and gave it a go. The mozzarella itself was average. I wasn't even sure that you should eat that part but the boyfriend assured me (not as convincingly as I would have liked) that it was fine to eat. But then everything changed.

I ripped off a piece of bread and dipped it in the mozzarella cream.

And it was pure heaven. 

Creamy, smooth, tasty...amazing. I may have then proceeded to mop up the entire plate. Ahem.

So, I couldn't possibly write a post without a photo. But forgive me readers, as the light was bad and as a dish, it's not too aesthetically pleasing. Also, I may have been slightly preoccupied with trying to mop up as much cream onto my piece of bread as possible....

So, as mozzarella goes, this is definitely a (creamy) winner. If you get the chance, try it!

Caprese creations!

What is a 'caprese'? A bit of mozzarella, some tomatoes and some basil arranged nicely on a plate, maybe with a bit of oil drizzled over in an artistic fashion? Well, it can be. Or, it can be a little more interesting than that. I'm all about the simplicity factor when I'm cooking/making a mess in my kitchen, so doing things based on a caprese salad is perfect. Here, I've got two easy ideas for you. Both are light and tasty, and definitely no-fuss.  

• This light lunch couldn't get any more simple if it tried, and it's perfect for a hot day. If you prefer to up the carbs, add some nice crusty bread on the side...

Take your fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, put into a bowl and add some salt, olive oil and basil (fresh or dried works fine, here I've used dried).

 Cook some chicken with a little oil, garlic and salt (don't chop up the garlic, leave it whole, but don't forget to remove it later!), leave to cool, then add to the caprese.

You could try some pesto with it too, to make it a bit more flavoursome.

•  Now these lovelies are way more impressive on the aesthetic front. Perfect for a starter, and too simple for words. So I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

I have recently bought an actual basil plant, so I'm trying to think of interesting ways to use these tasty leaves in my cooking/making a mess in the kitchen. These caprese creations are the perfect way to make use of them. And look how Italian they are, all red, green and white. Dunk these in olive oil or in pesto to make them even more scrummy. But watch out...the tomatoes have a tendency to spurt everywhere when you bite into them. So don't forget your napkins ;)

Buon appetito!