Arugula Salad with Burrata and Pomegranate-Balsamic Glaze

In an effort to spend more time with my nonna and help take some load off of her Christmas Eve prep, I suggested some of the girls of the family get together to help her make her homemade gnocchi. So we did, and it was so fun, but the lady is nuts. Even though we went to help lighten her load, she thought it would be a good idea to make us lunch. Oh, and not just any lunch, three extra large homemade pizzas, because you know she wouldn’t be doing enough showing us how to help her make gnocchi for 20+ people. Like I said, she’s crazy, but we all love her so.

So Christmas Eve at Nonno and Nonna’s goes like this… “here eat this!”, “try this!” “you gotta have more of this!”. Nobody ever goes hungry. It’s all about the food, people. Where do you think I get it from? Not only does she make some sort of homemade pasta each year, she also serves several different fish dishes, sides, appetizers and all homemade desserts, including struffoli which is probably one of the most time-consuming desserts on the planet.  And everything she makes is just divine. Just unreal. She has a true gift.

And every year, we each bring a dish, but she still ends up making the same amount of food she would if she was feeding everyone on her own. This year, I’ll be bringing this arugula salad with burrata, topped with candied pecans and a pomegranate-balsamic glaze. I’m hoping it will be a hit because who doesn’t love burrata and a sweet glaze?

If you’re looking for a dish to bring to a holiday party, this is it my friends. The burrata makes this salad super creamy and the candied pecans add a really nice crunch.

Don’t forget to tag your photos with #marinamakeseats!

Arugula Salad with Burrata and Pomegranate-Balsamic Glaze

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of pomegranate juice
• 6 cups of baby arugula
• 1 1/2 of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup of chopped spiced pecans
• 8 oz of burrata
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

First, make the pomegranate-balsamic glaze by bringing the balsamic vinegar and pomegranate juice to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the mixture has reduced by about half and is thickened. Set aside and let cool.

To assemble the salad, place arugula, tomatoes and pecans in a bowl. Break the burrata open and place it on top of the salad. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, a tablespoon or two of olive oil and a couple of pinches of salt and pepper.