Heirloom Tomato and Stracciatella

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We love recipes that are easy to make and taste delicious. It feels like a cheat code when you make a dish that tastes so good, yet you’ve put in very little work. Our Heirloom Tomato and Stracciatella recipe is one of those meals. The flavor this dish brings is phenomenal, and it looks breathtaking on the plate!

All you need to do with this recipe is slice up the ingredients, mix a few things together for a marinade, sit the Tomatoes in the marinade, then combine all the ingredients on a plate. For that little effort we guarantee that you’ll be amazed with the flavors this dish creates

It all comes down to the quality of the ingredients. The cornerstone to all great ingredients is using great ingredients and letting their natural flavor shine. That is exactly what this dish is all about

Tomatoes are the star of this dish, and Heirloom Tomatoes are the best choice

If you’ve ever eaten a Heirloom Tomato then you already know. If you haven’t, then this is the dish for you. Heirloom Tomatoes are simply the best tasting Tomatoes you can eat raw. They have such an immense amount of flavor and a beautiful texture

They do cost a little bit more money but trust us for this dish – they are worth it. Our Heirloom Tomato and Stracciatella dish is primarily a Tomato dish. It is the star of the meal, so splash out a little extra and it’ll be worth it

What we also love about Heirloom Tomatoes is the variety of brilliant colors they come in. The beautiful mix of reds, greens, and yellows make for a spectacular plate of food

This dish will of course work with other types of Tomatoes; however, the flavor won’t be as immense as the Heirloom Tomatoes. If you are not able to find Heirloom Tomatoes in your grocery store, select some larger style tomatoes such as Truss Tomatoes on the vine. Just ensure that the Tomatoes are super ripe

A beautiful Mediterranean style Marinade for the Tomatoes brings out their flavor

Heirloom Tomatoes are so flavorful, but adding a deliciously simple marinade enhances their natural flavors even more. For this recipe we’re sticking with a very traditional list of ingredients to marinade those beautiful Tomatoes in

The marinade consists of Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, and Thyme. All very classic Mediterranean ingredients that are a perfect balance of fat, salty, sweet, and acid. The marinade will not overpower the Tomatoes, as they are naturally quite flavorful anyway. Instead, these ingredients highlight the natural richness of the beautiful Heirloom Tomatoes

The marinade is very simple to prepare. Just mix the ingredients in a large bowl then place your sliced Heirloom Tomatoes into the marinade. Make sure that they are all evenly covered and submerged in the liquid and just leave them for 30 minutes or so. It couldn’t be easier!

So, what is Stracciatella?

Have you ever had Burrata? Those delicious balls of Mozzarella Cheese that are often served with Tomatoes at restaurants. When you cut into the ball of cheese it starts to ooze out this delicious, cheese which is almost liquid like in consistency? Well, that is Stracciatella!

The inside of the ball of Burrata is known as Stracciatella. Honestly we think it’s just a bit of a ploy for restaurants to make dishes sound even fancier by using a cool word like Stracciatella! I guess it does sound a lot nicer than ‘liquid cheese’!

Stracciatella is a delicious ingredient that pairs very well with Fruit and Vegetables. This entire dish is served as a cold preparation, which is great because if we were to cook the Stracciatella it would not be pleasant to eat

You can find Stracciatella in many grocery stores and higher-end deli’s these days. If you cannot find Stracciatella then you absolutely can use Burrata as a substitute. Instead of plating the cheese first, which is the case for this dish, you would simply add the Burrata to the top of the Salad. Similar to our Tomato Strawberry Burrata Salad here

Add any type of Stone Fruit for additional sweetness and luxury to the Heirloom Tomato and Stracciatella Dish

When we’re talking about Stone Fruit, we mean the whole genre of amazing fruit that has a stone in the center. Usually associated with the Spring and Summer, these fruits are full of natural sweetness and sugars that are great for you

You don’t need to be picky on what stone fruits to add to the dish. We would recommend picking the fruit that is the ripest / best for the season you’re producing the dish in. We made this dish in the Spring and used Nectarines, which were fantastic

Some other great stone fruit options for this salad are Peaches, Plums, Cherries, Mangoes, and Lychees. The best way to check which fruits are in season is to follow our two simple steps

1. Check what is available at your supermarket. Many times, fruit that isn’t in season won’t be available to buy. So, you’re limited by availability, which is really a good thing
2. The age-old process of taste testing! Buy a few different fruits and see which ones you like the taste of the best. You’re making this delicious meal for yourself so whatever you enjoy is the right fruit for the dish!

Heirloom Tomato and Stracciatella Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Large Heirloom Tomatoes, cut into slices
• ½ Red Onion, finely sliced
• 8 oz. / 220g Stracciatella Cheese
• 1 large Nectarine, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 tbsp. good quality Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 4 Sprigs of Thyme, no stems
• ½ cup Parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. Salt
• ½ tsp. Pepper
  
  

Instructions

1. Mix the Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Garlic, Thyme, Salt, and Pepper in a large bowl then add your sliced Heirloom Tomatoes and Red Onion. Ensure that the Tomatoes and Onions are well covered in the marinade
2. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the marinade to infuse into the Tomatoes and Onions
3. When ready to serve, pour the Stracciatella onto a large serving plate so that most of the surface areas is covered with cheese
4. Plate the Heirloom Tomatoes directly on top of the cheese, followed by the Onions, and Nectarines
5. Finish the plate by sprinkling the Parsley over the top and drizzle a generous amount of Olive Oil. Finally, add some flaky finishing Salt to the dish and serve family style
   
   

Note: You can replace the Nectarine with other types of Stone Fruits that are in season such as Peaches, Plums, Cherries, or Mangoes

There is no denying it, this dish is a showstopper on the plate, and is a super hearty vegetarian meal. It works great as its own meal given how hearty the Tomatoes are. You can also prepare this delicious dish as a side along with your main course. Here are a couple of our favorite dishes that pair excellently with our Heirloom Tomatoes with Stracciatella dish

• Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese
• Cast Iron Angus Ribeye Steak
• Crispy Roast Pork Shoulder
• Chicken Parmesan
  
  

Happy Cooking!