Boast of Roman traditional food: mozzarella in carrozza
Mozzarella in carrozza: the original recipe
Like many of Italy’s most delicious recipes, mozzarella in carrozza (“mozzarella in the carriage”) has humble origins too. The idea comes from the custom among less well-off families, who could not afford to waste food, to use up stale bread and no-longer fresh mozzarella in a new and tasty dish.
Over time the recipe for mozzarella in carrozza conquered Lazio kitchens, to establish itself as a classic too in Roman tradition.
The name “mozzarella in carrozza” refers to the fact that the two slices of bread form the “carriage”, within which the cheese travels.
How to make mozzarella in carrozza
Ingredients
- 6 slices white bread, crusts removed
- 1 fist-sized ball mozzarella, cut into approximately 1/4-inch slices, then strips
- 4 flat anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil, for frying
Preparation
Make sandwiches out of the bread and mozzarella, leaving a little margin around the edges unfilled with cheese and the anchovies fillet, and press the edges together with your fingers to help seal. Pour the milk into 1 soup bowl, the flour into another, and beat the egg with salt and pepper in another. Warm the oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Dunk the sandwiches briefly, 1 by 1, in the milk, then dredge in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg. Fry in hot oil on each side until crisp and golden and remove to a paper towel.
