When Sicilian Giorgio Linguanti came to Victoria in 2004 and started working in local cheese factories, he noticed very few products were being imported from Italy, and fewer still were being made here traditionally.
Today, Linguanti’s cheese company, That’s Amore, is one of Australia’s great dairy success stories – churning out classic Italian formaggi at scale from two Melbourne cheeseries and supplying to cafes and restaurants all over the country.
But burrata – the creamy, sometimes controversial Italian cheese – will be Linguanti’s legacy. He pioneered the Pugliese formaggio in Australia and wrote a cookbook about it – featuring more than 60 recipes and the stories of Italian cheesemakers who’ve dedicated their lives to the beloved blob.
This summery tart recipe can be whipped up ahead of time and provides a creamy canvas for one or as many balls of burrata as you like. If your restaurant biases are anything like mine, one is usually never enough.
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That’s Amore’s zucchini, pancetta and leek tart
Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1 sheet puff pastry
300g pancetta, roughly diced
3 zucchini, thinly sliced
3 leeks, green stem removed and thinly sliced
1 tbsp white wine
3 eggs, whisked
100ml pouring cream
salt
black pepper
4 mini burratas (about 60g each)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C and line an 18cm (7-inch) round tart tin with the puff pastry. Press down to ensure the tin is completely covered.
In a frying pan over a medium heat, fry the pancetta for 6-8 minutes, until crispy. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan, fry off the zucchini (reserve 1 cup for garnish) and the leek for about 10 minutes, until soft.
Return the pancetta to the pan with the zucchini and leek and stir to combine. Deglaze with white wine and fry for 1-2 minutes to cook off the alcohol, stirring to make sure the ingredients are well combined. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely.
Once cooled, add the eggs and cream. Season well with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture carefully into the prepared tart case and spread with a spatula to ensure the mixture is even. Arrange the reserved zucchini over the top in a circular pattern.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the tart has set and is golden on the top.
Season with black pepper and drizzle with olive oil, then top with burrata and serve.
This is an edited extract from Burrata: A Journey Through Craft, Flavour and Tradition by Giorgio Linguanti. Published by Hardie Grant (RRP $59.99)
Dining and Cooking