Day 38: Burrata with Marinated Roasted Peppers
inspired by Sparrow
It’s about time I write about another gem of South East London.
A few of years ago when someone told there was an exciting new restaurant opening in Lewisham I was amazed.
Don’t get me wrong. I like Lewisham. Handy shopping centre, good fruit & veg market. It’s just not somewhere that I ever thought would have a trendy small plates restaurant. It’s not even gentrified enough for a gastro pub yet.
How wrong I was. Sparrow arrived and it fitted right in. Yes it might be on the main road (seriously it’s not winning any awards for it’s view!) but who cares? Once your inside you’ll be too busy eating (and seeing what everyone else is eating) to be gazing out of the window.
This restaurant is definitely worth a trip to Lewisham. Honest. I’m not just saying that because I live a short bus ride away. But I’m very glad I do.
It’s owners Terry Blake and Yohini Nandakumar met when working at St. John. Apparently the reason it’s called Sparrow is because, like the bird, they are not specific to a certain country. They might have British, Malaysian, Sri Lankan dishes. All on the menu at the same time.
Or in this case Italian.
I love burrata. We’ve already established I have a serious cheese obsession. But an excuse to eat this super creamy cheese as a starter. When I can then have more cheese for dessert. Winner.
Now the skies have clouded over I need a bit of sunshine on my plate. And nothing says sunshine to me like Italian food. Sure the produce we get here isn’t as good. But with these roasted, marinated peppers you won’t know the difference! Because they get such a boost of flavour from the roasting, then the marinade. I could almost be sat in an Italian trattoria.
I’m not, I’m sat in my dining room looking at my rather soggy garden. But never mind.
I don’t have any fresh oregano but I have a massive bunch of parsley to get through. Both peppers and parsley are from my weekly Oddbox.
Make the marinated peppers a few hours in advance so the flavours can develop. And remember to get the peppers and the burrata out of the fridge about an hour before you want to eat them, so they can warm up. Delicious on its own for a starter. If you added some crusty bread it would make an amazing lunch.
Burrata with Roasted Marinated Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 burrata
- 2 red peppers
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 handful chopped parsley
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C
- Place the peppers whole on a baking tray. Once the oven is up to temperature, roast for about an hour until the skins are blackened.
- Put the charred peppers in a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to cool.
- Finely chop the parsley and garlic. To make the marinade combine in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Now remove the charred skins from the peppers. Slice or tear the peppers into strips and add to the marinade. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least four hours.
- When ready to serve get the peppers and burrata out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature. Place the peppers on a plate and top with the burrata. Drizzle over any remaining marinade. Serve with crusty bread if you wish.
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