Carciofi Marinati con Burrata e Piselli

INGREDIENTS
(Serves eight)

6 shallots
100ml red wine vinegar
3 green tomatoes
Salt
3tbs condimento morbido
2tbs basil oil
60g pea shoots
About 60ml Tuscan or similar peppery olive oil
300g burrata (see panel below)
120g fresh peas, cooked
About 48 pieces marinated artichokes, halved
Chives

METHOD
Dice shallots and marinate them in wine vinegar for three hours or more. (This can be done as a standard part of mise en place.) Quarter and seed the tomatoes. Blend in a food processor. Transfer to a chinois and squeeze out any excess juice. Combine the purée with basil oil salt and a little condimento morbido. Form eight teaspoon-sized quenelles. Dress the pea shoots with a little Tuscan oil and condimento morbido.

For each portion, pile the pea shoots over a bed of peas. To one side, spoon the burrata and put a green tomato quenelle on top.

Pat the marinated artichokes dry and coat them lightly with oil and condimento morbido. Arrange six pieces between the burrata and the pea shoots. Sprinkle some shallots and chives on top.

Sommelier's suggested accompaniment Cayega (Tenuta Carretta) - a dry, pale yellow Piemontese wine made from Arneis grapes, which has a floral, fruity nose with a mineral aftertaste

Condimento morbido

This white, sweet and sour vinegar is obtained by mixing fresh vinegar with Trebbiano grape must and then ageing the blend in barriques. It belongs to the same family as balsamic vinegar, but is better adapted to dressings and marinades.

Burrata

A fresh cheese from Puglia, burrata is made by blending mozzarella with cream and enclosing the mixture in a "sack" made from pasta filata - the basis of mozzarella. (Imported by La Credenza, 020 7070 5070.)