grandma's & julian's bday celebration

grandma's & julian's bday celebration
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i recently had dinner with my family for our annual get together to celebrate the birthdays of my grandmother and cousin julian, whose birthdays are a day apart at the end of july. my contribution was a side dish from suzanne goin's cookbook "Sunday Suppers at Lucques." i haven't yet been to Lucques, but i love AOC, one of her other restaurants.

james' broccoli w/ burrata, pine nuts, & warm anchovy butter
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 tbs sliced flat-leaf parsley
1 lb broccolini, trimmed
6 tbs unsalted butter
2 tsp minced salt-packed anchovy
1/2 chile de arbol, sliced thinly on diagonal
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 lb burrata or fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup sliced shallots
1 lemon, for juicing
salt & freshly ground black pepper

STEPS
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Toss the breadcrumbs w/ 1 tbs olive oil. Spread them on a baking sheet, and toast 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown and crispy.

Spread pine nuts on another baking sheet, and toast them 4 to 5 minutes, until they're golden brown and smell nutty. (i actually save pans and time by using a large sheet, and putting bread crumbs on one side, and half way through toasting, adding the pine nuts to the other half of the pan.) Crush half the pine nuts, and combine them with the whole pine nuts, breadcrumbs, and parsley in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Blanch the broccoli in the rapidly boiling water 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender. Drain, and cool on a baking sheet.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 7 tbs olive oil and the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the anchovy and chile and cook 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon as the anchovy melts into the sauce. Add the garlic and thyme and turn off the heat. The garlic will finish cooking in the hot oil. Season with 1/2 tsp salt.

Cut the burrata into slices, and then cut each slice in half. (to save time, i often use the mozzarella that comes in medium sized balls; however, burrata only comes in a big ball, and it's pretty darn good.)

Heat a large saute pan over high heat for 1 minutes. Add the anchovy butter, shallots, and broccoli, and season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Toss well to warm the broccoli and coat it with the anchovy butter. Taste for seasoning.

Arrange half the broccoli on a large platter in one layer. Tuck half the burrata slices amont the broccoli, and continue layering the remaining broccoli and burrata. Shower the pine nut breadcrumbs over the top.