Mozzarella In Carrozza — Southern Italy’s Fried Cheese Sandwich Will Outperform Any Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Grilled cheese holds a special place in the heart as a childhood essential meal, a comfort food classic, and the best friend to every bowl of tomato soup. Bread and cheese can’t get any better, or can it? Italy’s region of Naples seems to have given the sandwich a much, much better upgrade in the form of a fried and gooey-er grilled cheese.

Called mozzarella in carrozza this sandwich seems to have blossomed during the 20th century in Italy’s southern region of Naples. For many in the region, stretching food was a must. The name of the dish translates as mozzarella in a carriage, and it’s easy to see the meaning of the food. A fried coating of breadcrumbs and bread act like a carriage to transport the cheese from hands to mouth. Who doesn’t want that? Mozzarella in carrozza was a way to use scrap pieces of buffalo mozzarella and stale bread. During an era of little refrigeration, this was probably a thrifty way to prevent the rancidity of easy-to-spoil cheese. On this cooking channel, you see chef Andrea Aprea utilize a few pantry ingredients and elevate them into a next-level sandwich.

With slices of bread and mozzarella, Andrea goes about assembling the sandwiches. Once built he flattens the sandwich down, creating a seal. After trimming the crust and cutting the sandwiches into squares and triangles, he refrigerated the sandwiches to firm them up.

It can’t be reinstated, this step is crucial! Like so pinnacle! A firm press is needed to make the cheese stick to the bread.

Once the cheese’s moisture has slightly evaporated, the sandwiches get a dip into flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs.

Make sure you press the bread crumbs into the sandwiches. As annoying as it is, the sandwiches need to be refrigerated again before dipping them a second time. This rest time helps to firm the sandwiches up to protect them from exploding in the hot oil.

Since there’s already a base coating, you only have to dip the sandwiches in eggs and breadcrumbs (no flour this round). After all the sandwiches have been double-coated, you have to again chill the sandwiches in the refrigerator. I know it sounds like a lot of time, but rest assured, the wait is worth it.

Once fried for ten to twelve minutes, the sandwiches are ready to serve. A crispy crunch shell, a middle layer of satisfying bread, and a melted stringy center of mozzarella cheese make for the best grilled cheese sandwiches.

There are many variations to the sandwich. In the video, Aprea suggests a combination of sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, and basil. A simple swap of breadcrumbs for panko is an even better gourmet upgrade, giving the sandwiches an even crispier bite.

Watch the video below to get all of the details!