JAMES'S BROCCOLI WITH BURRATA, PINE NUTS, AND WARM ANCHOVY VINAIGRETTE

James's Broccoli with Burrata, Pine Nuts, and Warm Anchovy Vinaigrette image

If you leaned against your sink, closed your eyes, and focused on conjuring up the quintessential organic farmer, James Birch would appear in your kitchen. He looks like a cross between a grizzly bear and an overgrown Little Prince. And he is, in fact, the king of broccoli. I'd guess that most people don't walk into Lucques with a hankering for broccoli, but this appetizer might just change that. Tossed with a garlicky anchovy butter, topped with pine nut breadcrumbs, and served with slices of creamy burrata cheese, this broccoli is how addictions get started. Burrata literally translates as "bag." Cream is beaten into mozzarella, creating a skin of cheese that's filled with creamy curd. Burrata's silky, soft texture and rich flavor make it feel like a mozzarella that died and went to heaven. We get our burrata from Caseificio Gioia, which, although it sounds like it must be located in a quaint Italian village, is actually a family-owned cheese company in the decidedly unromantic industrial township of South El Monte, just outside Los Angeles. For many years, they've been providing L.A. chefs with the most delicious fresh mozzarella, ricotta, and burrata this side of the Atlantic. Burrata has a shelf life of about 3 to 4 days, so eat it quickly. (If you can't find burrata, substitute a soft, fresh handmade mozzarella.)

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon sliced flat-leaf parsley
1 pound Italian broccoli, sprouting broccoli, or broccolini, trimmed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced salt-packed anchovy
1/2 chile de árbol, sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 pound burrata or fresh mozzarella (see Sources)
1/4 cup sliced shallots
1 lemon, for juicing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.
Toss the breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread them on a baking sheet, and toast 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown and crispy.
Spread the pine nuts on another baking sheet, and toast them 4 to 5 minutes, until they're golden brown and smell nutty. 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 tablespoons 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 teaspoon salt.
Cut the burrata into six slices, and then cut each slice in half.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 1 minute. 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 among the broccoli, and continue layering the remaining broccoli and burrata. Shower the pine nut breadcrumbs over the top.