Orecchiette with
Marinated Eggplant,
Burrata, and Chiles
ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 30
MIN; SERVES 4
At New York City’s A Voce,
chef Missy Robbins makes
this elegant, decadent pasta
dish with burrata, the creamy
cow’s-milk cheese from Italy.
She says, “I absolutely love
burrata, but this recipe also
includes my trifecta of favorite
ingredients: marjoram, lemon,
and chiles.”
4 large Asian eggplants
(1^1 / 2 lbs. total), halved
lengthwise
(^1) / 4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-
virgin olive oil, plus
more for brushing
Kosher salt
(^1) / 3 cup red wine vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, very
thinly shaved
3 marjoram sprigs, plus 1
Tbsp. marjoram leaves
(^1) / 2 tsp. crushed red pepper
(^3) / 4 lb. orecchiette
2 Tbsp. freshly grated
pecorino cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf
parsley
(^1) / 2 lb. burrata cheese,
halved, creamy filling
scooped out (reserve
the firmer exterior for
another use)
Coarsely grated zest of
1 lemon
2 oil-packed red chiles,
seeded and cut into thin
strips
- Light a grill or preheat a grill
pan. Brush cut sides of halved
eggplants with olive oil and
season with salt. Grill egg-
plants cut side down over
moderate heat until lightly
charred, about 4 minutes.
3. In a pot of boiling salted
water, cook orecchiette until
al dente. Drain pasta, reserv-
ing^3 / 4 cup of cooking water.
4. Add eggplant to pot and
cook over moderate heat,
stirring lightly, until hot, about
30 seconds. Add orecchiette
and reserved cooking water;
cook, tossing, for about
30 seconds. Remove pot
from heat, and stir in
pecorino and parsley.
5. Spoon pasta into bowls.
Dot pasta with creamy
burrata filling. Garnish with
lemon zest, chile strips, and
marjoram leaves, and serve.
—MISSY ROBBINS
WINE Lush, berry-packed
Montepulciano from Italy’s
central Abruzzo region.
Turn and continue grilling
until just browned and cooked
through, about 2 minutes
longer. Let cool. Dice egg-
plants and transfer to a bowl.
Pour vinegar over eggplant,
and toss well.- In a small saucepan, com-
bine^1 / 4 cup plus 1 tablespoon
olive oil with garlic, marjoram
sprigs, crushed red pepper,
and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
Bring oil to a simmer, then
pour it over eggplant and
toss. Let stand for 1 hour.
Discard marjoram sprigs.