Winter means it’s time for warm, comforting food, and we just adore the array of lush winter greens that fill the markets around this time of the year! This bruschetta is generously topped with chicory sauteed with garlic and dried chilli in lots of olive oil. The flavour of the chicory is really a winner here, as the bitterness of the greens and olive oil come through beautifully before finishing with creamy Burrata.
To prepare the chicory, cut off the stalky base then roughly cut the leaves into 4-5cm lengths. Put into a colander and rinse under running cold water to remove and dirt. Boil 1L water with a good pinch of salt and add the chicory. Cook for 5-6 mins, stirring occasionally, until the stalks are tender. Retain ¼ cup of the cooking water in a mug and set aside for later. Drain the cooked chicory and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 200°C and prepare a baking tray. Place the slices of bread on the tray, drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle a little salt. When the oven is hot, put the bread in and bake until golden and crunchy (you may turn the slices over half way to brown evenly on both sides).
Meanwhile, remove the Burrata from the fridge so they make come up to room temperature. Cut open the bag of each Burrata and rest them on a paper towel to allow excess water to drain. Crush a whole clove of garlic with the side of a knife and heat in a pan with the olive oil and chilli flakes. Fry for a moment to slightly brown the garlic and flavour the oil.
Before the garlic and chilli burns, add the chicory and sautee for 1 minute. Now add the ¼ cup cooking water that you retained earlier and keep cooking, stirring occasionally for a few minutes until the liquid reduces and chicory cooks through.
Once the bread is well toasted, top each piece generously with the chicory and place onto plates. Finish with a Burrata, more olive drizzled over the top and small pinch of sea salt.
