Food fanatic and writer Olivia Bria, at Parade, went back to her Italian-American roots when she had a craving for a grilled cheese sandwich.
Combining the two elements – fried cheese – Olivia highlighted how to make a grilled cheese sandwich taste “10 times better”.
Reportedly known as “mozzarella in carrozza”, the cheesy bite is said to come from the southern region of Italy.
Likely to be popular in coastal cities such as Naples and Sorrento, mozzarella in carrozza can be recreated at home—no matter where you live.
Here’s how to recreate mozzarella in carrozza, which is essentially mozzarella cheese encased in bread and bread crumbs.
Mozzarella in Carrozza recipe
Ingredients
- White bread or sourdough
- Milk
- Eggs, whisked
- Flour
- Oil (for frying)
Method
First, layer mozzarella cheese on top of a slice of bread; if you like, additional cheeses can be added, such as pecorino or parmesan.
Then, add another slice of bread onto the cheese, cut off the edges, and squash the sandwich. The next step is to coat the cheese sandwich in flour, then whisked eggs, then breadcrumbs.
Now it’s time to fry the coated bread in hot extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan until it’s golden brown.
Flip the bread once browned, then fry the other side and, if you like, serve alongside marinara sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Marinara sauce
Allrecipes have shared their go-to recipe for marinara sauce, which can also be served with pasta.
Best to batch cook (so you have marinara sauce for other meals), here’s how to make enough servings for eight people (or eight meals).
Ingredients
- Two cans stewed tomatoes
- One can tomato paste
- Four tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- One clove garlic, minced
- One tsp dried oregano
- One tsp salt
- Quarter tsp ground black pepper
- Six tbsp olive oil
- 42g finely diced onion
- 118ml white wine
Method
Blitz the tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onions for about two minutes, until softened.
Stir the blended tomato sauce with the onion in the frying pan and add the white wine. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for around half an hour.
Serve with your delicious mozzarella in carrozza.
