Burrata, Courgette and Fennel

Originally published in The Times article Thyme: the Most Stylish Lunch in Britain, by Tony Turnball. Images by Romas Foord.

Serves 4

• 1 head of fennel

• A good handful of blanched almonds, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated

• Sea salt flakes and pepper

• Zest and juice of half a lemon

• 2 courgettes, peeled with a vegetable peeler into strips

• A good handful of bitter leaves, such as rocket, nasturtium leaves or something similar

• 4 burrata balls

• Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

1 Cut the fennel into thin strips and place in iced water to keep them nice and crunchy until you are ready to assemble the dish.

2 Fry the almonds in the oil on a medium heat until they start to turn golden. Just before they are ready to come off the heat, add the grated garlic, a couple of grinds of black pepper and the lemon zest and toss through the nuts. Carefully tip the almonds out of the pan and leave them on kitchen roll to drain.

3 When you are almost ready to serve, dress the courgettes and fennel with plenty of lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and gently combine with some bitter leaves.

4 Tear open the burrata and season. Tumble over the courgette and fennel, scatter over the almonds and dress the dish with olive oil.