Risotto with Burrata, Capers, and Cherry Tomatoes

Risotto with burrata, capers, and cherry tomatoes is a creamy and tasty dish, with the freshness of cherry tomatoes and the saltiness of the capers that marry well with the sweetness of the burrata. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 320 g of Carnaroli or Arborio rice
• 250 g of cherry tomatoes
• 200 g of burrata
• 50 g of salted capers (to be desalted) or pickled
• 1 shallot
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 liter of hot vegetable broth
• 100 ml of dry white wine
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper q.b.
• Fresh basil (optional)
• 30 g of butter
• grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

1. Start by preparing the vegetable broth and keep it warm on the stove.
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half or into quarters and set them aside.
3. Finely chop the shallot and do the same with the garlic. Sauté the shallot in a large pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic if you want a more pronounced aroma.
4. Add the rice and let it toast until the grains become translucent.
5. Deglaze with the white wine and let it evaporate.
6. Continue cooking by gradually adding the hot broth, stirring often to prevent the rice from sticking.
7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, desalt the capers by rinsing them under running water if necessary.
8. Midway through the cooking process (after about 8 minutes), add the cherry tomatoes and capers to the rice.
9. Continue cooking the rice until it is al dente, about 18-20 minutes in total.
10. Once the rice is done, turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, then cream with butter and the burrata cut into pieces. If you wish, you can also add a bit of Parmesan for added saltiness.
11. Let the risotto rest covered for a couple of minutes before serving.

Garnish the dish with a few leaves of fresh basil for a touch of color and freshness. If you do not have burrata, you can replace it with buffalo stracciatella or even a good quality mozzarella to maintain that pleasant creaminess. The risotto should be all’onda, meaning creamy yet with the grains well-defined and al dente.

Curiosities

Risotto with burrata is a modern variant of the classic Italian risottos that usually see the use of Parmesan for the creaming process. In our version, the addition of burrata makes the dish particularly rich and soft. The caper, with its sour and brackish note, balances the creaminess of the cheeses, while the cherry tomato brings a sweet freshness to the dish.