Sugar Snap Pea and Shiitake Mushroom Burrata Salad

I adapted this from a New York Times recipe after a trip to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx here in New York City. I had the long weekend to welcome the summer season so my friend Dash and I met in the old Italian neighborhood to eat some meats and cheeses.

It had been years since my last trip there and I wanted to go back to Calandra Cheese to buy their homemade burrata cheese. Besides eating it in all its glory and with prosciutto and hot salami from Calabria Pork Store, I wanted to try it with a salad that used the season’s ingredients.

I’ve never fried shiitake mushrooms before but doing so here added some more meatiness to this salad to break the crunchiness of the sugar snap peas. The gooeyness of the burrata softened it overall and the red chile flakes gave it a nice kick. The original recipe required a bed of greens and pine nuts, but I ended up skipping those just because I didn’t have them.

Ingredients:
olive oil
fresh shiitake mushrooms, destemmed
salt and pepper
1 ball of burrata cheese
sugar snap peas, destringed, roughly chopped
lemon juice
red chile flakes

1. Fry the shiitake mushrooms. In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the shiitake mushrooms, pleats up. Sprinkle salt all over them. Fry until light brown and then turn to fry the other side. When done, remove to a strainer and set aside.
2. In a serving bowl, break the burrata cheese and toss with the sugar snap peas, lemon juice and red chile flakes. Slice the mushrooms and add them in. Drizzle with some olive oil if needed.