Mozzarella in Carrozza recipe

The literal english translation is "mozzarella cheese on a chariot" and there is more than one story about the roots of such a bizarre name. The one I trust most, tells about the original preparation, back in the XIX century, when the Mozzarella in Carrozza was made by inserting the cheese between two round slices of stale bread like the coupled wheels of a light chariot.

Certainly, at its origins, the mozzarella in Carrozza was a poor dish prepared with stale bread and the cheese no longer fresh enough to be served on the tables of the rich society. 

Nowadays the recipe is made with high quality ingredients, yet mozzarella in carrozza remains a simple and very cheap dish.

Ingredients for Mozzarella in carrozza recipe

For two persons, you would need

• 1 mozzarella cheese, better if of the bufala type;
• 2 eggs;
• 1 glass of cold milk;
• 4 slices of white sandwich loaf;
• a generous quantity of vegetable oil (peanut preferred) for deep frying;
• white flour;
• salt;
• 1 anchovy (optional).

Preparation of Mozzarella in carrozza recipe

For the preparation, lay down the four bread slices on the breadboard and cut out, if necessary, the edges until you get four clean white toast.

With a sharp knife, cut the mozzarella in regular slices half an inch thick.

Put the mozzarella slices on two of the toasts making sure that the cheese does not exceed the bread borders. With normally sized mozzarella, two slices should fit well a single toast.

Now cover with the other toasts making 2 mozzarella square sandwiches and cut them along the diagonal, obtaining 4 nice stuffed triangles. 

Make sure again that the cheese does not exceed the bread borders and press gently along them to prevent the melted mozzarella to get out during the cooking phase.

If the bread is too dry, you can dampen them with some water or milk.

Now you need to prepare three things: on a flat dish you put some white flour, then, on a bowl, you break the eggs, whisk them with a fork and add half a glass of milk (just like for the preparation of french toasts) a pinch of salt and pepper and finally you heat up on the stove a large pan with a generous quantity of oil.

At this point you can start cooking your mozzarella in carrozza. Take the triangles, and press them on each side onto the flour surface before dunking them quickly into the eggs & milk mix and finally into the pan with the hot oil. You must fry the triangles for 1-2 minutes revolving them with a fork until they get gently brown. Beware of the oil temperature that should be hot enough to produce a light frigiture.

Finally remove the triangles and lay them on a foil of blotting paper for a minute to absorb any excessive oil, and serve them on a nice service dish with half a lemon.

One popular variant from the traditional recipe is the version with a piece of anchovy added inside. It is a good coupling with the mozzarella cheese which deserves a try.  

Served hot, mozzarella in carrozza is a very tasty and cheap entree or a great finger-food in cocktail parties. The only warning is that, despite its simplicity, it is not really a low calories preparation.

Like the all most desirable things in life, you must have it with moderation!