Grilled Prosciutto + Burrata Caprese
I’m going to label this past week as…..challenging. If I’m being perfectly honest, it just seems to be the same issues that rear their ugly head. Feeling a little lonely, feeling like it’s hard to find some momentum in my eevreyday. It doesn’t always go likee this, but this past week it did. Letting my husband see me at my emotional worst and it totally being the result of letting anxiety get the best of me in the moment vs. sitting on the issue for a small period of time, which typically helps in finding a solution and overcoming the obstacle of viewing life’s road-blocks as too momentous to manage. Because let’s face it - problems seem really bad + really scary in the first few moments of being presented.
The struggle that kind of seems to rear its ugly head is loneliness, and feeling like I kind of don’t matter to some of the folks I find myself surrounded by. Like in my life, my husband is the rockstar // most amazing human that people gravitate towards, and I just am kind of here. It 100% leads to extreme worry about what others are thinking, and the most painful side effect is worrying that maybe I do just suck. And maybe I’ve been so difficult + mismanaged my emotions enough times that I can’t really recover from it. And maybe the one person I care so much about, being my husband, is going to get to a point where he just can’t deal with me. It’s painful even just to write, and having the worry rooted in that thought is far worse. I for sure am not perfect and I can own the mistakes I’ve made + the situations I wish so badly I would’ve handled differently, and mainly my wish is that I could’ve faced feeling like an outsider with more grit. But it’s this realm of adult bullying + feeling a little overwhelmed and just down that was my problem this week. I mean - I’m so thankful for a husband who I can talk to about this and feel confident that we can head into a new week looking ahead. It’s just continuing to look ahead in all circumstances that I want to have the mindfulness + ability to do.
One of the best thing I’ve ever read is “what advice would you give a friend going through exactly what you’re going through?” It’s the questions I’m posing to myself now, and if I had a friend who was struggling this much, and made it a point to tell me they feel like they’ve faded into the background of their own life, I’d ask them what makes them feel like they’re living their best life (like what activities) + how can you spend more time doing (then I’d advise them to take steps in this direction….duh). My follow-up question would be how can you focus on you + not so much on what other people are thinking / saying / doing. And how can you stay confident. There the questions I’m asking myself, and striving to go into a new week with a fresh start and a true intention to just do better. And I am so thankful to have a husband who let’s me // us have a fresh start - even when it comes to overreacting over work // life situations that are ultimately a distraction from our own life. I’m going to be stronger + I’m going to be more impenetrable + I’m going to be a protector of our happy home. It’s the promise I’m making to myself this week.
But in the struggles there was still calm + self care in the time spent in the kitchen. And discovering the burrata wrapped in prosciutto + then grilled makes for a very delicious twist on a caprese salad. And a very fun way to use some garden tomatoes + basil. Grilled Prosciutto + Burrata Caprese is my new Summer jam, and serving it with some toasty bread made it feel like a deconstructed pizza situation. And that was just what I needed this weekend.
Garden focused
The tomatoes in our garden are on the cusp of popping off. And if anyone has had a home garden with 2+ tomato plants, you KNOW what I mean. Like once those tomatoes turn ripe, they all turn ripe, and by all I mean like hundreds. At once. And eating tomatoes with every meal becomes crucial. A good caprese is such a good use for them, and I’ve been waiting to have a handful of ripe tomatoes to make this little salad. Perfect use for freshly picked tomatoes.
Loaded caprese
I consider it loaded because I added arugula vs just sticking with a tomato + cheese situation. But I add arugula to virtually any meal, and I contemplated just putting a bowl of fresh arugs on the side + going the more tradition route. But why dirty another bowl, ya know? Just a few fresh + crispy leaves to balance out the creamy burrata + salty meat is just a perfect little pairing.
Deconstructed ‘za
This was so good eaten charcuterie tray style with a little warm + toasty bread on the side. Cut into those grilled burrata balls and place a chunk of that + some fresh veggies right on a little toast. Delightful. Our preference - warmed pitas that so soft + provide the option of folding the bread over the veggies. Kind of tac-ish. Whatever - it was fabulous.
For the vinaigrette
3 tbsp balsamic
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp EVOO
For the salad
8 slices of prosciutto
4 balls of burrata
2-3 cups of arugula
1 heaping c. cherry tomatoes, halved (garden grown highly encouraged)
Salt + pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
Toasted bread or pita for serving (I loved it with soft + warm pita)
Start by making the vinagrette. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette + set aside.
To prep the burrata, lay 2 pieces of prosciutto on a cutting board so they form an '“x.” You place the burrata right in the center where the prosciutto pieces meet, and then just wrap the prosciutto around the cheese to fully cover it as best you can. Place the prosciutto + burrata balls in the freezer for 30 min.
Start getting your bbq ready and heat to 400 degrees (you can pan roast instead if grilling isn’t your jam).
Prep the salad by tossing the arugula with 1-2 tbsp of the vinagrette and a pinch of salt + pepper. Lay the lettuce in a serving bowl and sprinkle the tomatoes on top. Set in the fridge.
When the grill is up to temp, place the burrata balls right on grill, cooking for about 2 minutes on each side. You’re going for a quick + light char. Take them from grill directly on top of your prepped caprese. Drizzle with a few more spoonfuls of your dressing, sprinkle with red pepper, and you’re good to go.