This family of Texans can’t stop marveling over the riches of the Northeast summer: maple creemees, swimming holes, meadow hikes, and rambling Sunday drives. From our little cabin in Vermont, we can go all kinds of places on a whim: Maine, New York, even Canada are all just a few hours away.
Exploring Montreal was an unexpected delight — I dusted off my high school French and felt seriously worldly chatting with the vendors and farmers at the historic Marche Jean Talon, an open-air culinary wonderland bursting with fresh produce, meat, seafood, flowers, cheese, spices, prepared food, and, best of all, crepes.
We filled our shopping bags, rambled through the nearby Mile End and Plateau neighborhoods, and were home in time to light the grill for dinner. And a quick 15 minutes was all it took to turn the day’s favorite market find — beautiful purple scallions — into an easy and decadent summer dinner. Paired with a creamy local burrata and some crusty bread, this is the kind of dish summer was made for: unfussy, lusty, and hearty without being heavy. Enjoy!
Charred Scallions with Burrata and Hazelnut Mint Picada
Serves 4
Charred Scallions with Burrata and Picada
Categories
Ingredients
For scallions:
- 2 bunches fat scallions, with greens
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
For picada:
- 1 small bunch mint, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
- 4 Tbs chopped basil leaves
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 big pinch Aleppo pepper or a few grinds of black pepper
- 1/3 c hazelnuts, roasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 Tbs lemon zest
- Salt to taste
To serve:
- 1 ball burrata (try to find Maplebrook burrata from Vermont)
Instructions
- Toss scallions with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill to medium high heat and grill scallions, turning frequently, until they begin to char and soften. When done, remove to a platter and set aside.
- Make picada: In a medium bowl, combine mint, basil, garlic, pepper, hazelnuts, and lemon zest. Stir well and add salt to taste. Set aside.
- Add burrata to serving plate along with scallions and spoon picada over cheese. Serve warm or at room temp with crusty baguette.
