Fried mozzarella sandwich (mozzarella in carrozza)

Soft bread sandwiches are filled with mozzarella cheese and anchovies, drenched in egg, then fried. Pure cheesy, salty toastie goodness.

Carrozza, a fried mozzarella sandwich, is traditionally made from day-old sliced bread filled with mozzarella. Credit: Paola Bacchia

• makes

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Whenever I hear the term ‘Mozzarella in Carrozza’ I think of card games and sharing a drink with friends. It is not the type of snack you have every day, but a very popular one in the Southern Italian region of Campania. In Campania, fresh buffalo mozzarella is often used, but I find this too wet, so I use or di latte, which is made from cow’s milk and is therefore a bit drier.

Ingredients

• 1 ball fior di latte, cut into 5 mm (¼ in) slices and drained for 10 minutes
• 8 slices white bread, crusts removed and halved into triangles
• 8 anchovy fillets, drained and roughly chopped (optional)
• plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a splash of milk
• grapeseed, peanut or sunflower oil, for frying
• sea salt flakes

Instructions

Trim the fior di latte slices so they fit neatly on the bread triangles leaving a 5 mm (¼ in) border. Make triangle-shaped sandwiches by placing a slice of or di latte on a slice of bread. Place an anchovy on the cheese (if using), then press another triangle of bread on top.

Place some cold water in a shallow bowl and a little our on a plate. Dip the edges of the bread triangle briefly in the water, then dip in the flour. The flour and water will form a kind of glue to seal the edges of the triangle together. Press the edges together making sure they are well sealed. Repeat with the remaining bread, cheese and anchovies.

Divide the beaten egg between two large shallow bowls. Place the triangles in the egg, turning them over to make sure they are well coated. Leave them in the egg mixture for a couple of minutes until absorbed. Check that the edges of the sandwiches are well sealed before removing.

Heat 1 cm (½ in) oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sandwiches and shallow-fry in batches for 2 minutes or until golden on one side, then flip over and cook the other side for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Drain on kitchen towel, sprinkle over a few sea salt flakes, to taste, and serve warm.

This recipe is from Italian Street Food. (Smith Street Books). Photography by Paola Bacchia.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Whenever I hear the term ‘Mozzarella in Carrozza’ I think of card games and sharing a drink with friends. It is not the type of snack you have every day, but a very popular one in the Southern Italian region of Campania. In Campania, fresh buffalo mozzarella is often used, but I find this too wet, so I use or di latte, which is made from cow’s milk and is therefore a bit drier.