Best of Shelf
in Napoli where love is king
Wait, Parmigiano Reggiano is considered the king.
Then there is burrata, a little cloud of love, a late bloomer.
But not just any burrata. Burrata, imported from Italy, is eye-opening but hard to get.
However, there is an artisan burrata made in the US by an Italian immigrant; it is a burrata from Di Stefano’s located in Pomona CA.
At the time of writing, I have 7 left, no guarantees.
Mimmo Bruno made his first vat of mozzarella at age 12.
Mimmo grew up in the Puglia region of Italy. He says the first burrata showed up there in the 1970s. From Mimmo, "It quickly became a regional favorite – everybody was soon trying to make it. But when I left Italy in 1986, burrata was still very much a regional cheese – if you went 100 kilometers out of Puglia, no one knew what it was."
Stefano and Mimmo Bruno
Hmmm, Mimmo looks about my age.
You know, I had an Italian pen pal in grade school…
It was 1968 or so; gosh, I can still remember how amazing it was going to be to;
A- have a pen pal.
B -have it be A BOY
AND
C- Italian?!!!
Of course, he would be my boyfriend. We would finally meet after a few years of being pen pals. It would be over a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.
After all, When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie. That's Amore.
I knew I had to get my first letter sent off. I wrote my pen pal about my third-grade class at Robert P Gage School. I told him I loved being in plays, with my latest role being Kanga from Winnie the Pooh. I auditioned for Winnie, but I got cast as Kanga, likely because Pooh would look ridiculous being about 5 feet tall. I wrote him about Girl Scouts, how I was a patrol leader, and my love for Chef Boyardee pizza. That would impress him!
I mailed it off, and I waited and waited and waited. FINALLY, an envelope arrived with so many Italian stamps it looked almost official. However, I was sure it was from his heart.
YEAH, that’s exactly how a 9 year old Italian boy would write a letter.
Finally, my future husband responded.
I tore into the envelope and
It was all written in Italian.
Now what?
My mom found out one of my girl scout troop members' grandmother was visiting, and she was Italian! We made arrangements for the translation.
I don't recall what was in the letter, but probably name, rank, and serial number. And a request for a photo of me.
So I got to work on my second letter. I enclosed a photo and sealed it with a kiss, possibly with some Avon brand lipstick.
Love, LeeAnn
Then I waited.
I never heard back.
Mimmo Bruno if it was you, ti sei perso.
Back to burrata. Mimmo immigrated to the United States and opened a cheese factory in Los Angeles in 1996 — a company called Tutto Latte. Stefano, Mimmo's son said, "My dad started off with the traditional cheeses everyone in the United States already knew: ricotta, mozzarella, mascarpone," "He also started making burrata.” Mimmo was the first person in the United States to make it.
No one knew about burrata Until Mimmo got connected with Nancy Silverton [a personal fave chef of mine!] She tasted it,
'Holy crap, this is exactly what I had in Italy.' It eventually went on her menu and is still there today. She has Mozza in LA—a bucket list restaurant for me.
Nancy Silverton, Holy crap she has a Mozza cookbook!
In 2009 burrata started to take off. Sadly, Mimmo ended up closing Tutto Latte. He was feeling defeated for not getting recognization for bringing burrata to the natives.
See Mimmo; we could have been great pals.
Mimmo and his son Stefano decided to try again.
Sounds familiar, pen pal.
They opened Di Stefano, named after his son. It is a boutique-style artisan cheese plant dedicated to making burrata and other fresh Italian-style cheeses.
The milk used for the fresh cheeses is delivered daily from cows not treated with growth hormones. Di Stefanos supports farmers with ethical farming practices who keep their cows in large, healthy pastures, free to roam where they wish.
You can taste it in Mimmo's burrata.
I'm not going to lie. I have the grocery store burrata in my fridge right now. Bel Goisio. And it's pretty good. Or should I say it seemed that way until I tried di Stefano’s again. The milky sweetness is incomparable. The world will shine like you've had too much wine.
I know it's tomato season, and I know that's what you want to do. Caprese. Some of you may even go the stone fruit route with a drizzle of balsamic. That is delicious! But I beg you to reserve one bite and make it a simple bite. Taste the cheese.
Just a drizzle of EVOO, a kiss of crunchy salt, and a crusty baguette.
Might I suggest a lovely French number I just got in? Castelines Classic AOP Vallée des Baux de Provence. I know, French EVOO, but it's grassy with a hint of artichoke.
Then just a sprinkle of Maldon flaky salt.
Serve with one of our baguettes. You need; five bucks [well, $4.95] and 20 minutes or so. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool for at least 10 minutes. Longer is better, but if you can't wait. I get it.
Ti sei perso [don't miss out].
That's Amore.
PS- I think my pen pal’s name was Mario. Anyone know him?