By Anne Willan
Published 1989
The best of all soft cheeses for cooking is fresh mozzarella, tender and moistened by its own whey. The increasingly scarce water-buffalo version and fresh cow’s milk mozzarella have a higher fat content and are usually reserved for salads or as a table cheese. Older, commercial mozzarella is bland, but melts into a juicy, slightly stringy topping on pizza and baked pasta; mozzarella can also be cut in sticks to coat with breadcrumbs and deep-fry (mozzarella impanata), or crisply fried in a carrozza (Italian for carriage) of sliced bread. Another cheese designed to melt is Swiss raclette. When placed in front of a special grill, the cut surface softens to be scooped and served with boiled new potatoes.
Advertisement
Advertisement