Beet & Burrata Salad over Arugula
Cooking is about creating memories in our home. Whether it’s curating a family dinner, hosting a couple of friends, or enjoying a night at-home with just Jordan & I, using food to fuel quality time with my favorite people is my goal when whipping up something delicious. My favorite person to cook for, and with, is always my husband. Cooking for him, & inevitably us, is when I’m the most comfortable - like it could go totally wrong & we’d make a joke of it and enjoy ordering in takeout from a local favorite. Or we’d devour whatever in all its glory, despite maybe not looking so awesome, & keep things on the bright side to the tune of “at least it tastes good.” Point being cooking for just us two is when it’s the most stress free, & just the most fun.
We spend a ton of time in the kitchen together. Sometimes we cook together, & most of the time Jordan sits in the same corner of our kitchen - his little perch to chat with me while I cook, visit with me, & observe whatever the heck I’m doing. Last night we changed things up, and our end of the day time in the kitchen together revolved around me giving Jordo a quick cooking listen. I walked him through making one of my current favorites - pesto alfredo. I made it for myself last week on my night home along, just a little fun meal for just me, & it’s so good & so sneakily simple. Jordan had cold leftovers, so as we went for a farm to table themed dinner this weekend, it seemed like the perfect time to recreate a new favorite & give Jordo the chance to taste it fresh.
Alfredo sauce is sneakily simple to make. I used to think it was so complex, and had an episode of it going very wrong, but I’ve got it down now. & I’m comfortable enough to pass along the recipe to someone else, which in this case is my husband. We walked through going slow - letting low heat and gentle swirling of the pan do the work as butter & cream heat up together. We moved to cranking up the heat and adding in a hefty dose of parmesan, letting it get melty & watching the sauce get perfectly thick. We then tossed it with perfectly toasted cauliflower gnocchi, being careful to make sure the pan wasn’t too hot that the sauce separates, which is definitely where it’s gone a wry for me before.
Jordan is also very good in the kitchen, though he doesn’t give himself enough credit, & more than capable of nailing a simple Alfredo. Moreover, I love when we cook together - it’s always the best. He’s given me some nice lessons when it comes to grilling & pizza making, his specialties, but this may be the first time I’ve given him a true lesson. I was hands off, & just talked him through the steps, & he crushed it. So the pasta portion of Sunday dinner was delish, & ended with him now having the foundation to make any kind of Alfredo he wants. When it was all said and done, he did end up asking me what other kind of Alfredo variations he could whip up, & I told him to go nuts. Get wild with it! So hopefully a little Alfreda al Jordo is in my future.
While I walked him through the sauce making, I focused all of my attention on a Beet & Burrata Salad. II’d typically whip this up with a grilled steak or for a summer bbq, but it went with perfect with the farm to table theme we were going for, so screw it. & I love any excuse for a beet salad. Beets + argula + creamy cheese in one bite is just nothing short of amazing. It’s also a welcome change since we’ve had a lot of hearty soups around the Zehner house lately, so a light & bright salad in the mix was a good change of plate.
It’s a salad that’s super simple and satisfying. Arugula is peppery and pretty damn good by itself, & with a sweeter veggie, like beets, it’s pretty perfect. Not much to say other than that, and it’s one of those salads that always sounds good to my palate. Jordan is still getting his feet wet when it comes to beets, and sweetly mentioned that he’ll eat my beets, but he’s still a little scared. So between tackling the pasta to putting down some roasted beets, I’m not having the realization that this dinner may have been a stretch for his comfort zone. In the end. our weekend wrapped up with a super yummy dinner in the comfort of our home, & the sweetest part is having a new memory of cooking with my husband that sparks a whole lot of joy, & one I hope comes back to me every time pasta Alfredo hits the menu here at home.
For the Dressing
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 c. EVOO
Salt & pepper
For the Salad
3-4 large beets
1 c. mandarin orange (drained & from the can is fine)
3-4 c. arugula
burrata cheese
3 tbsp sliced almonds
Start by making the dressing. Add all the wet ingredients & a pinch of salt and pepper to a mason jar, and shake vigorously. Set aside.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and trim the beets. Wrap in foil, creating somewhat of an envelope with the foil and place the beets on a baking tray & then in the oven. Roast for an hour. Remove the beets from the oven, and let them sit in the sealed foiled envelope for 30 minutes. Open up the foil, releasing steam, and leet the beets cool.
Toss the arugula with a couple tablespoons of the dressing so the greens are lightly dressed, and separate into serving bowls. Slice the beets & the burrata, both about 1/4 inch thick. Split the beets and cheese amongst the plates. Add a few orange segments and a sprinkle of almonds. Spoon about another teaspoon or two over the salad to finish.