6 days Ago By [email protected] (Bobby Lewis)
A classic grilled cheese is a simple, timeless treat, but the Italian sandwich known as "mozzarella in carrozza" — literally, "mozzarella in a carriage" — takes this to the next level as, essentially, a fried cheese sandwich. At the Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Fest , Daily Meal spoke with chef Glenn Rolnick of Carmine's , a famous Italian restaurant in New York City, about his favorite way to make this comforting classic — with a twist. Rolnick begins with the basics: high-quality, fresh mozzarella cheese.
"You get fresh — even bocconcini or ciliegine, the little ones," he said, referring to tiny balls of fresh mozzarella cheese, "and you really have to toast the bread really well." Mozzarella en carrozza is often deep fried in oil, but Rolnick instead likes to griddle the sandwich in a little bit of butter "because it gets really crispy, but it's still soft on the inside." Rolnick likes to skip the traditional egg wash, useful on a fried version of this sandwich for keeping breadcrumbs on (which he also skips.
) If cooking at Carmine's, he still does the egg wash, but for his own sandwiches, Rolnick found that an egg wash is "a little too heavy, and I really want to taste the cheese." Seasoning mozzarella en carrozza A good mozzarella en carrozza starts with good seasonings, and for Carmine's chef Glenn Rolnick, it does literally start with this step. Before cooking, "I will marinate the fresh mozzarella in a little bit of olive oil, a little bit of garlic," Rolnick said, "and sometimes a little oregano, salt and pepper.
" But the most essential herb is basil. "[F]resh basil, of course, goes in anything," he said. Marinating fresh mozzarella cheese in the refrigerator creates a far superior flavor than simply dusting seasonings on top.
But as with marinating raw meat, marinating fresh mozzarella takes time — at least an hour, but you can marinate it longer for more concentrated flavor. Take care, though — too much refrigeration can change the texture of fresh mozzarella . Try to use the cheese as freshly as possible.
Rolnick's version of mozzarella en carrozza is somewhat similar to a traditional grilled cheese, which tastes better when you salt the pan , but Rolnick tries to avoid adding salt to this sandwich. "It depends on the mozzarella," he said. "If the mozzarella has no salt in it okay, but I truthfully wouldn't," instead preferring to rely on the natural flavors and herbal seasonings.
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