Only a chef with origins in Naples could reveal all the secrets to make the perfect mozzarella in carrozza: a tasty recipe that is also popular in Lazio, with some differences, very simple to prepare, but with small tricks necessary to obtain a perfect result. Chef Andrea Aprea will show you in a few fundamental steps. First of all, pay attention to the quality of the ingredients, especially for the mozzarella which should be buffalo and preferably from the day before. The mozzarella in carrozza was born as a recipe for recycling whatever remained from the previous meal and turning it into something truly appetizing! These fragrant fagottini with a stringy heart will please everyone thanks to their simplicity, but if you want to create a gourmet version, chef Aprea recommends adding anchovies, dried tomatoes, basil, and black pepper inside. An explosion of flavors in this special fried mozzarella that you can enhance by using panko in the second breading, a special Japanese breadcrumbs, instead of the classic breadcrumbs: the crunchiness that will result will win everyone over bite after bite!
Mozzarella in carrozza
INGREDIENTS
• White sandwich bread (600 g) 12 slices
• Buffalo mozzarella, preferably from the day before, 500g
• Fine salt, to taste
• 5 large eggs
• Flour 00, 100g
• Breadcrumbs, 300g
Mozzarella in carrozza
Calories
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 8 min
Servings: 24 pieces
Cost: Low
Note: + 1 hour of rest
PREPARATION
How to prepare Mozzarella in carrozza
To prepare the mozzarella in carrozza, start by cutting the buffalo mozzarella into slices, about 1 cm thick. Place them one by one on a tray lined with absorbent paper, and cover them with other sheets of absorbent paper. Then, press lightly with your hands to remove the excess water, changing the sheets of kitchen paper if necessary, until completely dry. Now you can proceed to fill the bread. Place the slices of sandwich bread on a cutting board, arrange the mozzarella slices on top, covering the entire surface, but without letting it overflow. Salt and cover each slice with another slice of bread. Then press lightly with your hands to compact everything. Do the same for all the other slices of bread until you finish the mozzarella.
Cut the slices of filled bread using a knife to remove the outer crust. At this point, you can cut the mozzarella in carrozza in two different ways: by scoring a cross you will obtain 4 squares from each slice, while to get triangles, cut the bread first in half diagonally and then in half again in the opposite diagonal direction, so that you will get 4 smaller triangles.
Now, move on to breading. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a whisk for a few minutes. Then, in two other bowls, place the breadcrumbs and the sifted flour. First, dip each piece of bread filled in the flour and then in the egg, using 2 forks to coat them thoroughly. Then place them on a plate for a few seconds to remove any excess egg before rolling them in the breadcrumbs. Using the blade of a knife, press lightly on the edges and surface to make the breadcrumbs adhere uniformly and have a more precise shape. If necessary, pass again in breadcrumbs and press again with the knife blade. Continue like this for all the other pieces and transfer them to a tray lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until firm.
After the mozzarella has firmed up, carry out a second breading by firstly dipping the pieces in the egg, then removing any excess and then rolling them again in breadcrumbs. Again, using the blade of a knife, press lightly on the edges and surface to make the breadcrumbs adhere uniformly. Continue like this for all the other pieces and transfer them, placing them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator to firm up again for another 30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a pan until it reaches a temperature of 170-180°C. Fry a few pieces at a time, turning them occasionally with a slotted spoon. When they are golden brown, drain the mozzarella in carrozza on absorbent paper to remove any excess oil. Fry the remaining pieces and serve your mozzarella in carrozza immediately.
Storage:
The mozzarella in carrozza should be eaten immediately! You can store it in the fridge for a few hours before frying it.
Tips:
To make the mozzarella in carrozza, it is recommended to use mozzarella from the previous day, so it will be drier. In this way, when cooking, it will not risk overflowing. The flour in the breading serves as a binder. It is important to remove excess egg from the bread slices to avoid lumps when they are passed in breadcrumbs. Also, it is important to always have clean hands during the breading process. To ensure that the breading sticks well to the bread and that there is no moisture inside the mozzarella in carrozza, it is important to refrigerate after each breading. For a chef’s touch, in the second breading, instead of breadcrumbs, you can use panko, Japanese breadcrumbs, which will add extra crunchiness. Be very careful during the frying stage. Always start with oil at a temperature of 170-180°C so that when the pieces are immersed, it stabilizes around 160°C for uniform cooking. If the oil is too hot, the mozzarella in carrozza will have too much color outside but will not be stringy inside. To recover it, you can bake it in the oven for a few minutes at 160°C. Instead of sandwich bread, you can use slices of homemade bread. In this case, you will not need to remove the crust, and the result will be more rustic!