Desperate times call for desperate measures, but grabbing a packet of pre-grated 'mozzarella cheese' from the supermarket cold shelf doesn't always cut it.
Pre-grated cheese has a low-moisture content (otherwise it would all just clump right back together). It might result in good browning in the oven, but it also tastes rubbery and bouncy and generally nothing like the mozzarella you want to be eating.
Think fresh
Fresh mozzarella comes in two kinds. First, the 'real' kind according to mozzarella aficionados (of which you are now one). This is fresh mozzarella made from buffalo's milk, aged for only a few hours. It's the traditional Italian way to make mozzarella and the flavour is delicate and creamy, but with a distinctive tang.
“Once, a buffalo farmer and cheese maker in Italy said to me: ‘You need to understand that the mozzarella has to be so fresh, you should feel the buffalo breath in the cheese as you eat it,” Elena Swegen told SBS Food. You can read more of her story here:
Then there's the cow's milk variety - the kind you are most likely to find wrapped at the deli or supermarket. In Italy, cow's milk mozzarella is often referred to as fior di latte, not mozzarella. It's lower in moisture content than buffalo mozzarella, so the cow version is good for pizzas and other dishes that require a good melt.
The key to buying cow's milk mozzarella is to look for a version that is white, not yellow. It will preferably be packaged in a container filled with whey, not wrapped in plastic. If you buy anything less, you'll face a cheese set like a rubber doormat the instant it cools.
Now, go wrap your best fresh mozzarella around some of these beauties.
This dish is a celebration of mozzarella's unique texture and flavour. Source: Sharyn Cairns
It’s said that many Koreans eat extremely spicy food as a stress relief and this dish will surely numb any pain. Source: Billy Law
This dish is a mouth-explosion of sweet, savoury, creamy and sublime. Source: Rachel Tolosa Paz
Stack your flavours with creamy mozzarella, salty Parmesan and fresh potato doing justice to pizza. Source: Feast magazine
Pizza's that serve mozzarella well
Tomato and mozzarella pizzette (pizzette con pomodoro e mozzarella)
What really makes a cachapa a cachapa is the melted cheese inside. Source: The Latin Kitchen
These low-carb pizzas are suitable for vegetarians and healthy to boot. Source: Photography © Smith & Gilmour
A good mozzarella will produce the necessary cheesy stretch that a pie like this demands. Source: Rachel Tolosa Paz
Extra-creamy buffalo mozzarella works best with shakshuka. Source: Desiree Nielsen
Mozzarella fritta often served as a snack for Italian aperitivo. Source: Paola Bacchia
Atayef are typically served as small folded pancakes, but here they're layered flat (presumably to show off the mozzarella). Source: May Rizk
Three suitably cheesy sweet dishes
Sweet cheese rolls
Carrozza, a fried mozzarella sandwich, is traditionally made from day-old sliced bread filled with mozzarella. Source: Paola Bacchia
Crispy on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside, the biggest challenge is waiting for your croquettes to cool down enough to eat. Source: Sharyn Cairns
reveals just how versatile fresh mozzarella is. It pairs so well with ingredients used all over the globe. In this dish, it's working back well with cumquats, orange-blossom water and filo pastry.
Shredded buffalo mozzarella and torn basil takes this classic dish to a new level. Source: Jono Fleming
Stretching the cheese
Baked bread rolls stuffed with chorizo, mozzarella and capsicum (pan choripán)
