A Christmas Eve staple in our house growing up...

 

Mozzarella in carrozza, literally “mozzarella cheese in a carriage”, is one of the rustic glories of Neapolitan cuisine - a true favorite of our family. It’s a kind of savory French toast, or a kind of grilled cheese sandwich, only fried. Like either of them, it’s kinda easy to make. And very flexible, which is why this recipe doesn’t give much in the way of measurements - just keep going until you use up your bread and cheese. Count about 1-2 sandwiches per person as an appetizer. The great thing about this dish is, you don’t need the best quality mozzarella di bufala to get acceptable results, although, of course, the better the cheese, the tastier the dish.

Ingredients:

Bread, preferably slightly stale, crust removed, 

cut into evenly shaped slices 

Mozzarella cheese, sliced

A bowlful of milk

A bowlful of flour

A bowlful of beaten eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper

Olive or vegetable oil

Salt

Lemon wedges (for garnish)

For the anchovy sauce:

A tin or jar of anchovy fillets

A good pour of olive oil

1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced

A few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

Take the slices of bread, then place a slice of mozzarella cheese between two of the bread slices to make a sandwich. (Make sure that the mozzarella slices are smaller than the bread slices, so that you have a good 1/2in/1 cm margin around the slices, to prevent the cheese from oozing out as it melts during cooking.)

Fill a large frying pan with the oil, enough for a semi-deep fry, about 1 inch deep. While the oil is heating up,  set up your ‘assembly line’:  Line up the milk, flour and seasoned beaten egg, each in separate bowls, preferably right next to the frying pan. Have a grate at the ready for draining the sandwiches after they’re fried. Here was my set up:

 

Dip each mozzarella sandwich, on both sides, in the milk until nice and moist, then in the flour, then in the beaten eggs seasoned with salt and pepper, making sure the bread is well impregnated with the egg. Then fry each sandwich in the oil over moderately high heat until golden brown on each side—a few at a time so that you don’t crowd the frying pan. As the sandwiches are done, transfer them to the rack  while you fry the rest.

When they’re all done, sprinkle the sandwiches with salt and serve immediately.

Mozzarella in carrozza is traditionally served with lemon wedges on the side. But I like serving them with a bit of anchovy sauce: you empty a tin or jar of anchovies with some olive oil in a saucepan over moderate heat. Stir until the anchovies have broken up and are sizzling, then add a tablespoon or so of white wine. The anchovies will almost instantly form a smooth sauce. Add finely minced garlic (a garlic press works well here) and parsley. Stir once, then remove from the heat. You can spoon this sauce on top or around the sandwiches or, since anchovies can be ‘controversial’, in a sauceboat for those who want it.