Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
500 g (1 lb) baby Roma or cherry tomatoes (or other ripe tomatoes)
1⁄4 red onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
20 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 small ciabatta loaf, or other crusty bread, cut into thin slices
olive oil
1–2 balls fresh burrata
80 ml (3 fl oz) homemade basil pesto (recipe below) or store bought
fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp lemon zest
extra virgin olive oil, extra

METHOD
1 To make the salsa, cut the tomatoes into quarters. If you are using larger tomatoes, cut them into small bite size pieces. Mix with the onion, garlic and basil. Drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper and toss to combine.
2 Place your sliced bread into a hot oven on a lined oven tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake until golden and crisp.
3 Place the ball(s) of burrata on a platter with the tomato salsa. Drizzle with basil pesto, fresh basil leaves, lemon zest and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Season with a little ground black pepper and serve with the toasted bread.

Homemade Basil Pesto

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled
30 g (1 oz) parmesan cheese
3 tbsp pine nuts
60 ml (2 fl oz) olive oil, approximately
1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD
1 Place the basil leaves, garlic, parmesan, and pine nuts into the bowl of
a food processor and blitz so that everything is very finely chopped.
2 Add olive oil, with the motor running, until you have a smooth paste. If
it’s too thick, add a little more oil.
3 Season with salt and pepper and stir through lemon juice.

Recipe and images from ‘Food For Sharing Italian Style’ by Liliana Battle, published by New Holland Publishers. Purchase the book here