From The Oven to the Table is a cookbook I purchased recently after perusing it on Amazon. It’s by Diana Henry, published in 2019. I’ve never owned a book by Diana Henry and I’m not sure why. She’s a prolific cookbook author, writing 11, possibly 12 books as best as I can tell on Amazon. After looking through them, I’ve already purchased another!

Diana Henry is a successful British food writer. From the book’s jacket: “Her journalism and books are multi-award-winning. Diana’s book “How to Eat a Peach, won the André Simon Food Book of the Year for 2018, while A Bird in the Hand won a James Beard Award in 2016.” The complete list of accolades is very long.

About this recipe, Ms. Henry writes: “You barely need a recipe for this, it’s just distinctive ingredients, melting together, each providing a contrast to its neighbor: chili-hot ‘nduja that falls apart in the heat of the oven, cold creamy burrata, and charred peppers. Most people, when you serve them a plate of this and some ciabatta to mop of the juices, will just be quiet and eat.”

From the book: “Diana Henry’s favorite way to cook is to throw ingredients into a dish or roasting pan, slide them into the oven, and let the heat behind that closed door transform them into golden, burnished meals.”

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Roast Peppers with Burrata and ‘Nduja
Printable recipe below

6 red bell peppers
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 1/4 ounces ‘nduja
1 pound burrata
Ciabatta, to serve

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Halve the peppers, seed them, and put them into a gratin dish, roasting pan, or a baking sheet with a lip around it. Brush them with olive oil, season, and roast for 20 minutes.

Break the ‘nduja into chunks and divide it among the peppers, putting it inside them. Roast for a final 10 minutes.

When they’re cooked, the pepper skins should be slightly blistered and a little charred in places. Leave them until they’re cool enough to handle, then tear them or leave them whole – whichever you prefer – and divide them among 4 plates. (Obviously I didn’t do this.)

Drain the burrata, tear it, and serve it alongside the peppers and ‘nduja. I placed the burrata on the hot peppers to add some warmth.

Serve some ciabatta on the side.

These peppers were fabulous. I placed them on a bed of chopped lettuce, cabbage, and parsley, drizzled with some balsamic vinegar. I also added some cayenne pepper flakes to the peppers.

I also used twice as much ‘nduja! We like it spicy.