Recipes with mozzarella are so delicious that you should try the most popular ones. Moreover, such cheese is good both as an independent dish and as an ingredient in various culinary recipes. Salads, casseroles, pizza, lasagna and other dishes become real masterpieces when this type of cheese is present in them. Mozzarella is a cheese originally from Italy and was previously made from fresh buffalo milk. Nowadays, many chefs prefer to use less exotic, but still of the same quality, milk from cows familiar to us as its base. And despite the fact that this type of cheese is, first of all, one of the main products of Italian cuisine, many of our compatriots enjoy tender and tasty pieces of the famous mozzarella
But before you run to the nearest supermarket for a package of the treasured cheese, you should find out that you can make mozzarella yourself.
How to make mozzarella cheese at home - detailed recipe
The most important rules to consider when trying to make homemade mozzarella are:
The milk must be homemade. The one sold in bags is not suitable. It is unlikely that you can make mozzarella from “store-bought” milk.
It is better to store finished mozzarella in whey, otherwise it will lose its taste and spoil very quickly.
Mozzarella has a shelf life of about 4 days in the refrigerator.
Real mozzarella needs to be kneaded like dough to produce good quality cheese.
It is necessary to strictly adhere to dosages and temperatures during the preparation process in order to obtain a quality product.
We will need:
- fresh milk – 3 l. It should be rich, ideally if there is about 0.5 liters of cream in the jar. To check the amount of cream, you need to put the milk in the refrigerator for a while before preparing it.
- citric acid – 7 g;
- 2 teaspoons of diluted pepsin (rennet). The quantity here may vary; see the recommended dose on the package.
- 200 ml of boiled or filtered cold water. Plain water is undesirable because it contains chlorine, which destroys the properties of pepsin;
- ordinary water;
- salt – 4 tablespoons for preparing brine;
- sieve;
- 3.5 and 2 liter pans;
- gloves to avoid getting burned;
- ultra-precise thermometer
Preparation:
First you need to dilute citric acid in 100 ml of water.
Then the resulting solution must be combined with cold (up to 10 degrees) milk. All this, with constant stirring, heats up to 32 degrees.
Important! The milk must be cold, otherwise it will simply curdle under the influence of acid.
Stir the resulting starter quickly and very intensively for about 10 seconds, and then cover with a lid. Now you need to wait for a clot to form. Typically, this process lasts from 15 to 40 minutes. To understand if it is ready, you need to press on it with your finger. If your finger is clean, the curd is ready.
Now it is important to cut the resulting clot into squares measuring approximately 2x2 cm. These pieces should just stand for about five minutes to settle a little.
After this, put the pan back on the fire and begin to heat the mass, stirring constantly so that the squares do not stick together. It is best to use a wooden spatula for stirring. Heating continues until the mass reaches a temperature of 35 degrees.
By the way, don’t rush to throw away the whey; it will be useful for storing and further preparing mozzarella.
The next step is water preparation. To do this, you need to pour it into a saucepan, boil and cool well.
We heat the drained whey to 80 degrees, add salt to it and proceed to the final stage of preparing mozzarella. To do this, use a slotted spoon to take a certain part of the squeezed cheese-rennet mass and lower it into hot water for a period of 5 to 15 seconds. Here the cheese should reach such a consistency that it can be easily kneaded with your hands. Wearing gloves (to avoid burns), knead the heated part of the cheese and stretch it. Place in hot liquid and knead again.
This must be continued until the mass becomes smooth and elastic. Now you can mold it into the desired shape (a ball, for example) and place it in cold boiled water.
We repeat these steps with another amount of cheese and rennet mass. And then, the cooled mozzarella needs to be transferred to the cooled whey and sent to the refrigerator.
Dishes with mozzarella
Since mozzarella is an Italian cheese, then, of course, the most famous dishes in which this cheese is present are Italian dishes. Caprese salad is also especially popular. And they are quite easy to prepare, the main thing is to use detailed recipes.
Salad with mozzarella "Caprese"
Compound:
- ripe tomatoes – 2 pcs. medium size;
- olive oil -2 tablespoons;
- balsamic vinegar – 1 teaspoon;
- 12 green basil leaves;
- 150 g mozzarella cheese;
- freshly ground pepper - to taste;
- beautiful serving plate
Preparation:
To prepare a classic Caprese, washed tomatoes and cheese removed from brine must be cut into rings about 4 mm thick.
Sprinkle vinegar and oil on top, sprinkle with pepper and serve immediately.
Baked Caprese
Compound:
- 2 cups of cooked quinoa (the grain is quite exotic, but very healthy);
- 1 glass of spaghetti sauce;
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste;
- a third of a glass of heavy cream;
- a third of a glass of grated Parmesan;
- 1 cup chopped mozzarella;
- 1 cup small tomatoes, cut in half;
- 1 large bunch of green basil;
- 0.5 teaspoon ground red pepper;
- a quarter teaspoon of salt;
- a quarter teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Preparation:
To prepare baked caprese in the oven, you need to heat the sauce, pasta, cream, Parmesan, salt and both types of pepper over the fire.
Remove from heat and stir in quinoa.
Tomatoes with mozzarella (half the specified amount), as well as 6 basil leaves are also added here.
Prepare a baking tray 21x23 cm (approximately) and grease it with vegetable oil. Place the prepared mixture here.
Scatter the remaining mozzarella slices and tomatoes on top.
Bake Caprese in the oven for about 15 minutes (temperature 180 degrees). The cheese should become golden. 
After this, remove the dish from the oven, garnish with basil sprigs, wait 5 minutes and serve.
Crispbread with mozzarella
These round breads filled with cheese not only look appetizing, but also cook very quickly.
Required ingredients:
For 8 loaves of bread you will need:
- 450 g ready-made;
- 120 g mozzarella, cut into 2.5 cm cubes;
- 4 tablespoons of butter, melted;
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning;
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder. It can be prepared by drying chopped pieces of garlic in the oven. After the garlic has dried, it is crushed in a coffee grinder;
- 0.5 teaspoon of salt;
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Preparation:
First you need to preheat the oven to 200 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by greasing it with vegetable oil.
Roll out the dough and cut into squares larger than the mozzarella cubes. You need to put cheese in each square and pinch the edges well, forming a kind of ball.
In this form, future breads should be placed on a baking sheet, with the edges pinched down.
Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. The bread should be slightly browned, but should not be too dry.
While baking the dough, you need to prepare the sauce. To do this, add seasonings, garlic powder and salt to the melted butter.
As soon as you take the bread out of the oven, you should immediately brush it with sauce using a silicone brush.
It is best to serve the cheese balls hot, sprinkled with parsley.
Mini croissants with sausage and mozzarella
This option is perfect as a quick breakfast for school or work.
To prepare them you will need:
- 230 grams;
- 4 mozzarella cheese sticks;
- 100 g salami sausage;
- garlic sauce, the preparation process of which is described in the recipe for mozzarella bread.
Preparation:
First you need to preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Roll out the dough and cut into long triangles, on the edge of which you need to place about 6 pieces of thinly sliced sausage.
Place a mozzarella stick on top of the sausage and wrap the dough triangle into a croissant shape.
In this form, mini-croissants should be placed on a baking sheet greased with vegetable oil, seam side down.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
After the croissants have browned, they need to be removed from the oven and brushed with garlic sauce.
Cutlets with mozzarella
Required ingredients:
For minced meat:
450 g beef;
450 g salami;
0.5 teaspoon garlic powder;
2 teaspoons salt;
1 teaspoon black pepper;
a quarter cup of grated Parmesan;
2 eggs;
0.5 cups of fat milk;
0.5 cups chopped parsley
For filling:
mozzarella cheese
For breading:
1 cup breadcrumbs
Preparation:
Grind the sausage and beef into a meat grinder and mix with all the necessary ingredients for minced meat. This mass needs to be beaten well with your hands.
After this, you need to roll the minced meat into balls, flatten them, put chopped mozzarella on each piece and form a cutlet so that the cheese is only inside.
Make sure that the cheese is well hidden in the minced meat, otherwise it will leak out during frying.
After the cutlets are formed, they need to be generously rolled in breadcrumbs and fried under the lid.
Quick mini pizza with mozzarella
Compound:
- 450 g minced beef;
- 3 chopped garlic cloves;
- 2 cups chopped parsley;
- pepper and salt to taste;
- 1 glass of refined oil (preferably olive);
- 1 can of sauce, preferably “Marinara”;
- 50 g butter;
- 4 slices of white bread;
- 4 slices of mozzarella;
- 200 g salami, cut into thin slices
Preparation:
Make a cutlet mass from minced meat, garlic, parsley, pepper and salt. Divide it into 4 parts and form cutlets. Fry them in a frying pan for 6 minutes on each side. Place on a paper towel.
Separately, in a frying pan, you need to heat the sauce.
In another frying pan, melt the butter and add garlic, fry for 1 minute, and then, here, fry the pieces of bread.
Then you need to heat the oven, and place semi-finished products on a greased baking sheet in the following order: bread, minced meat, mozzarella, salami.
Bake until sausage is crispy (about 3 minutes).
Sprinkle the finished mini-pizza with parsley and serve.
The most delicate Italian dishes would not be so tasty if it were not for mozzarella. This magnificent dairy product perfectly complements classic cuisine. However, its beauty lies not only in its unique taste, but in its rich composition and dietary qualities. Soft cheese is a welcome guest on any table. If store-bought options do not suit you, the product is easy to prepare yourself. This will make the treat even healthier.
What is mozzarella cheese
A gourmet favorite, mozzarella is an Italian soft, unsalted dairy product that is best consumed young. The flowering of taste occurs in the first 12 hours. It was originally made from buffalo milk. This is a classic that has now become exclusive. Over time, cow's milk began to be used. The product turns out no less tasty, but true experts advise at least once to try real cheese according to ancient recipes.
The soft structure allows you to give mozzarella different shapes. The main types of product are:
- bocconcini - cheese in the form of large balls;
- Ciliegini - mozzarella in the form of small round balls, the size of a small cherry plum;
- perlini - small balls of cheese resembling peas;
- traccia - mozzarella woven into a delicious braid. There is a smoked version.
Composition, calorie content and beneficial properties of the product
You can enjoy delicious soft cheese balls even if you are on a diet. The nutritional value of cheese is 240 kcal with a complete absence of carbohydrates. The specific gravity of fat does not exceed 20-25%. The protein part occupies 18-20%. With this composition, mozzarella gracefully complements the everyday menu as desserts, appetizers, and components of main courses.
Cheese has a number of useful properties:
- improves heart function thanks to potassium;
- strengthens bones and nail plates thanks to calcium;
- maintains water balance with sodium content;
- preserves vision and improves skin thanks to vitamin A;
- promotes the regeneration of bones and muscles with the help of phosphorus;
- normalizes cholesterol levels, because contains choline.
How to make mozzarella cheese at home
Since mozzarella is recommended to be consumed young, it is useful to master the skill of preparing it yourself. This can be done at home without any special equipment; the process will not cause difficulties even for novice kitchen queens. But the dishes will be decorated with the elegant taste of soft cheese, fresh and as healthy as possible. The less mozzarella was in the refrigerator, the more nutrients it is saturated with.
Recipe
To make mozzarella cheese you will need:
- 1.5 liters of medium fat milk. If you can get buffalo, take it without hesitation.
- 250 ml distilled water. You should absolutely not take it directly from the tap.
- 2 packs rennet enzyme. Pepsin, acidin-pepsin will do. Used for curdling milk. Without such an enzyme, cheese production is impossible.
- 1/3 tsp. citric acid.
- 1 tsp. kitchen salt.
Step-by-step recipe for making mozzarella cheese at home:
- Pour the milk into the pan, let it heat to 25-28 degrees.
- Dissolve citric acid in half a cup of water and slowly add the liquid to the milk. Don't forget to constantly stir the mixture. Bring it to 30-35 degrees.
- Dissolve rennet in half a cup of water and pour into the pan with the cheese being prepared. Bring the mixture to 40 degrees, cover with a lid and remove from the stove.
- Leave the pan with the milk mixture for 15-20 minutes to allow the enzyme to allow the milk to curdle.
- After the required time has passed, the product will separate. You will get a dense cheese mass and transparent whey with a yellowish tint. Stir the future mozzarella until it breaks into small pieces.
- Scoop the resulting mass with a spoon and place on a fine sieve. Press down well so that all the whey comes out.
- Be careful not to let the cheese ooze out. The result is a dense cheese mass that does not fall apart.
- Transfer the cheese to a heatproof bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Make sure that the future mozzarella does not boil. After half a minute, turn it over.
- After microwave, you will get viscous cheese, as in the photo. Remember the product well, like plasticine. Remove any escaping whey.
- Salt the mozzarella and mash well again. Add basil if desired. Additional heating and stretching is allowed. This will give the cheese its signature structure. If you want a more delicate and soft product, eliminate the repeated heating step.
- Shape cooked mozzarella into desired shape. Store cheese in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
What can you cook with mozzarella?
Delicate cheese balls easily fit into any dish. They are used for salads, appetizers, pizza, pasta, and baked warm dishes. The beauty of mozzarella is its dense consistency - it melts, but does not spread. They make excellent hot dishes with stretchy cheese. Such sandwiches are very popular with children who need a playful element to absorb food.
We offer several easy and tasty recipes:
- Caprese salad is a classic of the genre. It looks elegant, is easy to prepare, and is absorbed instantly. Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into thick slices and place them alternately. Sprinkle basil on top and drizzle with olive oil.
- Salad with mozzarella and shrimp. Place tomato halves, cheese cubes, and chopped green onions on a plate. Season with basil, salt, and olive oil as desired. Place boiled shrimp on top.
- Pizza Margherita - prepared without meat. Place garlic and tomato sauce on the dough, a few basil leaves, and sprinkle with oregano. After 5-7 minutes of baking, sprinkle finely chopped cheese on top. Return to the oven for a couple more minutes to melt the mozzarella.
- Breaded fried cheese is a delicious hot appetizer. Cut the mozzarella into 1.5 cm thick pieces. Dip in the egg and roll in breading. Fry in a hot frying pan on both sides for a few minutes so that the cheese has time to melt.
What cheese can replace mozzarella?
Soft Italian mozzarella is not always easy to come by. However, in some recipes it is replaced with other cheeses, which will reveal the taste of the dish and give it new notes. If there is no required packaging on the counter, look nearby for Adyghe cheese or suluguni. Some housewives recommend using feta cheese or homemade Zdorovye cheese, but they have a more curd-like structure, so they are not always suitable. If you need to bake it, take unsmoked suluguni. It melts and stretches beautifully. Classic hard cheese will also work.
Video: how to make mozzarella cheese at home?
Making mozzarella in the kitchen is easy. The main thing is to get the rennet and take the milk that curdles. The first time it is better to do it according to clear instructions so as not to miss the most important thing. Follow all the directions and tips, then the mozzarella will be no worse than store-bought. Strictly adhere to all technological nuances. This is especially true for temperature; the future structure and flavor notes of the cheese depend on it.
The video instruction below about making mozzarella at home has text tips. It's easier to understand this way. We recommend using fewer products the first time to master all the intricacies. Prepare all the utensils and necessary ingredients in advance. Don't forget about a kitchen thermometer, since production is based on precise technology. Watch the video before you start cooking. This way you will have an idea of the sequence of actions. You can make small notes for yourself so that you don’t have to rewind the video.
Detailed recipes and step-by-step photographs will help you prepare the most delicious mozzarella salad for your table!
- Mozzarella cheese – 100 grams;
- bell pepper – 1 piece;
- lettuce leaves - 3 pieces;
- cherry tomatoes – 5 pieces;
- onions / 14 heads;
- green onions - 5-6 feathers;
- olives – 10 pieces;
- salt – ½ teaspoon;
- soy sauce – 1 tablespoon;
- sesame – 1 tablespoon;
- olive oil – 1 tablespoon.
Open a jar of mozzarella. It should be snow-white and odorless.
Remove the mozzarella from the jar and let it dry while we cut the rest of the ingredients.
Peel the onions, rinse, and wipe with a napkin. Cut into small cubes.
Rinse lettuce leaves with ice water. You can also use sorrel greens. It needs to be washed well.
We tear lettuce leaves into a deep salad bowl with our hands.
Add onions to the salad.
We wash the cherry tomatoes, remove the stems and rinse under water. Cut the cherry tomatoes into 4 parts.
We wash the bell pepper. Remove the seeds. Cut into pods.
Add tomatoes to the salad.
We also send bell peppers there. Cut the mozzarella into slices.
Leave a couple of plates for decoration, the rest - cubes.
Mix mozzarella with vegetables.
Remove the olives from the jar and dry. Cut each olive into 2 parts.
Add olives to the salad.
We salt the salad. Pour sesame seeds into a dry frying pan.
Fry the sesame seeds until done.
Sprinkle golden sesame seeds into the salad.
Toss the salad with mozzarella cheese, olive oil and soy sauce. Cut green onions into rings.
Serve the salad with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, sprinkled with green onions on top.
Recipe 2: salad with arugula and mozzarella (step by step)
- arugula - 1 bunch (about 70 g);
- cherry tomatoes - 7-8 pcs.;
- mozzarella cheese - 100 g;
- olive oil - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- balsamic vinegar - ½ tbsp. spoons.
We extract the mozzarella from the whey. Let the liquid drain, then cut the snow-white cheese into small cubes.
After removing the stems, cut clean and dry cherry tomatoes in half.
Wash the arugula and place in a colander. When the greens are dry, transfer them to a salad bowl/bowl. We don’t skimp on the greens; in this case, they should make up the bulk of our dish! Add cherry halves and snow-white cheese cubes to the arugula.
In a separate bowl, prepare a simple dressing: mix balsamic vinegar with oil. If desired, add a pinch of freshly ground pepper.
You can do without vinegar, seasoning the dish only with oil or a mixture of oil and lemon juice.
Toss the salad with arugula, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella with a light dressing. Mix carefully and season with salt if necessary. Divide the mixture of ingredients among plates and serve immediately.
Recipe 3: salad with mozzarella and cucumbers (with photo)
- crab sticks – 150 gr
- cucumber - 1 piece
- mozzarella – 125 gr
- tomatoes - 1 pc.
- lettuce – 30 gr
- lemon juice - 1 tbsp.
- sunflower oil - 4 tbsp.
- salt - to taste
The order in which the components are cut does not matter. Finely chop the crab sticks.
Place the chopped crab sticks in the salad bowl.
Then finely chop one large tomato or two small ones.
Place the tomato on the crab sticks.
Finely chop one fresh cucumber.
Add chopped cucumber to the salad.
We also cut the lettuce leaf. Nowadays it is fashionable to tear it by hand, but I adhere to the old traditions and still cut it. You will need about 4-5 lettuce sheets.
Add the salad to the bowl.
And finally mozzarella. The package contained 125 grams of this cheese. Enough for a salad.
Put mozzarella in salad.
Mix all ingredients and season with lemon juice, refined sunflower oil, salt and ground black pepper.
A wonderful, healthy and tasty salad is ready. We serve it with meat, fish or simply eat it with fresh bread. Bon appetit!
Recipe 4: Greek salad with mozzarella and chicken
With mozzarella, the salad acquires a fresh, light and very pleasant taste.
- green leaf lettuce or iceberg lettuce,
- fresh cucumber - 1 large or 2 small,
- tomatoes - 3 pcs.,
- onion - 1 pc.,
- mozzarella cheese - 125 g,
- chicken fillet - 200 g,
- pitted olives - 20 pcs.,
- unrefined vegetable oil for dressing.
Wash the lettuce leaves under running water, blot the water with a towel and dry the salad, spreading the leaves on a towel or wide plate. Wash the cucumber and tomatoes.
Salt and fry the chicken fillet in vegetable oil until golden brown.
We tear the lettuce leaves with our hands quite large. You can cut it with a knife, but it’s somehow “tastier” with your hands.
Peel the cucumber and cut into cubes.
Cut the tomatoes into cubes.
Take a small onion or half a large one and cut into thin half rings.
Cut the chicken fillet across the grain into strips.
Cut mozzarella cheese into cubes.
Cut pitted black olives in half.
Season the salad with olive oil and mix. Since the salad contains “airy” lettuce leaves, it is most convenient to mix it with two tablespoons. For flavor, you can sprinkle the salad with a little lemon juice.
Recipe 5: Arugula salad with tomatoes and mozzarella
- arugula – 200 gr.;
- mozzarella – 1 ball;
- tomato – 1 pc.;
- leek – 1 pc.;
- lime - half;
- olive oil – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- balsamic vinegar – 1 teaspoon;
- salt and spices to taste.
Arugula, as a rule, is now sold in stores in ready-to-eat form. But if you decide to wash it, don’t forget to dry the greens. Because if there is excess liquid in a mozzarella salad, it very quickly loses its shape and freshness.
Place arugula leaves in a salad bowl.
Leeks go very well with arugula. Cut it into large rings.
Arrange the leeks around the perimeter of the mozzarella salad.
Cut the tomato into small slices and place on the arugula.
You can use cherry tomatoes if you wish. Carefully cut the ball of cheese into thin circles.
Do not grind the mozzarella too much. She may lose juice. Add cheese to our salad with arugula and tomatoes.
For dressing, pour olive oil into a gravy boat. Add a few drops of balsamic vinegar to it. Finally, squeeze the juice of half a lime into the sauce. Mix everything thoroughly.
Pour the dressing over the salad.
This salad will be a great addition to the main dishes on your table. Also, it can be eaten as an independent dish, as it is nourishing and very tasty.
Recipe 6, simple: salad with mozzarella and onions
- Salad 0.5 bunch.
- Mozzarella cheese 50g.
- Cucumber 1 pc.
- Green onion 2 pcs.
- Orange zest 1 tsp
- Olive oil 2 tbsp
- Mustard 0.5 tsp
- Salt chips.
Chop the green onions. Slice the cucumber.
Wash the lettuce leaves under running water and tear them into pieces with your hands.
Cut the mozzarella into large pieces.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and season the salad: olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, mix. Add salt and orange zest.
Mozzarella) is a soft young cheese from southern Italy. In local cuisine, mozzarella is most often used in pizza, fresh salads, appetizers (caprese), casseroles, lasagne and pasta.
Many Italian dishes, especially pizza, are unthinkable without this cheese. It is mozzarella that has the ideal neutral taste and a specific structure, due to which the cheese stretches slightly when you take a ready-made portion of hot pizza. Thanks to mozzarella, a closed Italian pie calzone so delicious and a signature Italian appetizer caprese It just wouldn't have been born. But the main thank you should be given to the black buffaloes, whose milk the hardworking Italians used as the basis for this wonderful, tasty cheese.
History of mozzarella
The first written mention of mozzarella can be seen in the cookbook of Bartolomeo Scappi, the famous Italian chef of the Renaissance. In his book Opera, published in 1570 and including more than 1,000 recipes, there is a line: “cream, fresh butter, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella and milk.” We must assume that Bartolomeo wrote about mozzarella as a common product of his day, which means that cheese was invented much earlier.
Mozzarella) is a modified combination of words from the Neapolitan dialect. Mozza means to cut, and mozzare- cut off, which hints at the technological process of producing this cheese.
How to make mozzarella
The milk is fermented with a special cheese culture, and sometimes a rennet element is added. After which the finished mass, similar to yogurt, is heated and stirred until the whey is separated, which is drained. The resulting elastic mass is kneaded by hand until it becomes a stiff dough and pieces of the desired size are cut off, placing them in a cold saline solution. By the way, whey, which remains in abundance after the production of mozzarella, is used to prepare another famous Italian cheese - ricotta.
Types and forms of mozzarella
Mozzarella is usually found in the form of irregular balls. Bocconcini are large balls the size of an egg, chilengi are balls the size of a large cherry, perlini are very small. Mozzarella is sometimes sold in the form of a braid (treccia) or large balls 7-10 cm in diameter. Traditionally, mozzarella is sold in a liquid in which balls of cheese float freely. The exception is mozzarella in a braid and hard mozzarella in a large ball.
It is believed that mozzarella in a large ball without brine is intended for baking, in fact, any mozzarella can be baked, but in brine the cheese is more tender and tastier, and large and dry cheese is simply lower class, which automatically narrows its use.
What to cook with mozzarella
First of all, we recommend preparing cold appetizers and salads with mozzarella. It requires no heat and cooks very quickly. The easiest way to prepare a salad is from fresh vegetables and herbs, adding a little mozzarella, olives and seasoning with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. This classic of Mediterranean cuisine has not become outdated over the centuries and is very appropriate during the hot season. Be sure to try the caprese appetizer salad: this is a light appetizer of tomato slices, pieces of mozzarella and basil leaves, seasoned with olive oil, black pepper and sea salt. Prepares in a minute and can be served for breakfast or with a glass of wine. Don't forget to add slices of fresh wheat bread to your caprese!
Mozzarella is one of the main cheeses used in traditional pizza. Naples, as the birthplace and capital of Italian pizza, is also the main city of the Campania region, where mozzarella began to be produced. It is not clear what was the root cause - either the pizzaoli always wanted cheese for pizza with such wonderful properties, or mozzarella made an ordinary flatbread with pizza filling in the usual sense, but the fact that mozzarella is ideal for pizza is an undeniable fact.
Try different styles of pizza: layer the cheese on top of the sauce but under the toppings to tie all the ingredients together, or layer mozzarella on top of the toppings to dress up the pizza. Don't forget that mozzarella is an unleavened cheese, and if you didn't add salty ingredients, you should add a little salt to the pizza before baking.
A classic Italian calzone is made with mozzarella. This pie is somewhat reminiscent of a cheburek, but actually, it’s the same pizza, only folded in half. There are many types and styles of calzones, but mozzarella is the most commonly used cheese in calzones.
Lasagna is sometimes prepared with mozzarella. Lasagna is flat sheets of pasta, “pasta paper,” layered with filling (cheese, minced meat, vegetables, mushrooms), covered in sauce and baked in the oven or oven. Mozzarella plays the role of a connecting link here, connecting the tastes of all components. An extremely nourishing and tasty dish that is easy to prepare, has a “signature” look and is included in the menu of many restaurants around the world.
With mozzarella you can prepare casseroles, various vegetable, meat, mushroom dishes “with cheese”, add them to dishes “in pots”, to baked or fried vegetables. Here you need to follow one simple rule: if the cheese is part of the filling or is inside the dish, then you can add it along with the rest of the ingredients, and if the cheese is placed on top, then this should be done 5-10 minutes before it is ready. The fact is that mozzarella melts very quickly, and prolonged heat dries out the cheese and worsens its taste.
Recipes with mozzarella
Caprese
This is a light snack originally from the island of Capri. The combination of colors in this dish matches the colors of the Italian flag, and caprese is considered the national Italian dish. Ideally, the mozzarella should be made from buffalo milk, the tomatoes should be of the oxheart variety, and the olive oil should not be bitter. Capri is a kind of Mediterranean Eden for the Russian intelligentsia. At different times, Leonid Andreev, Ivan Bunin, Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Lenin, Anatoly Lunacharsky, Konstantin Paustovsky, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Ivan Turgenev and Pyotr Tchaikovsky lived on Capri. So the cuisine of Capri is dear to us, at least through the spirit of the works of Russian classics.
Ingredients:
Tomatoes,
Basil,
Olive oil,
Black pepper, salt.
Preparation:
Arrange tomato slices in a circle, top with a piece of mozzarella and cover each slice with a basil leaf. Drizzle with olive oil, pepper and salt. Caprese is an ideal appetizer for light dry wine.
This very tasty and simple Neapolitan pizza, according to legend, was first prepared in honor of the wife of the King of Italy, Margaret of Savoy in 1889. The colors of the pizza symbolize the colors of the Italian flag. Margherita was very impressed by the look of the pizza, and since then pizza has gone from being a poor man's food to becoming the national pride of Italy.
Ingredients:
Pizza dough,
Tomato sauce,
Tomatoes,
Basil leaves,
Black pepper,
Salt.
Preparation:
Roll out a thin pancake from yeast dough. Brush with tomato sauce, place tomato slices and scatter mozzarella on top. Pepper and salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 230 degrees or 7-12 minutes at 270 degrees. Garnish the finished pizza with green basil leaves.
Lasagna is thin sheets of pasta folded with a filling like a cake. The filling for lasagna can be anything, but the presence of cheese, sauce and sheets of pasta remains unchanged. You can supplement the vegetables with minced meat or finely chopped pieces of chicken, change the composition of the vegetables or replace the sauce with tomato.
Ingredients:
Ready-made lasagna sheets,
For the bechamel sauce:
50 g butter,
50 g flour,
500 ml milk.
For filling:
1-2 zucchini,
1 onion,
200 g minced meat,
200 g mozzarella,
150 g grated parmesan.
Preparation:
Preparing bechamel:
Let the milk warm up, but do not bring it to a boil!
Melt the butter, add flour, stirring constantly.
Add milk to the butter and flour mixture in small portions, stirring constantly until smooth.
At this stage, preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Preparing the filling:
Fry the diced onion.
Add minced meat and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the diced zucchini and fry everything for 5-7 minutes.
Assembling lasagna:
Grease the mold with butter.
Place a small layer of filling, a little bechamel sauce and cover with a sheet of pasta.
Again a layer of filling, pieces of mozzarella and grated parmesan, a little sauce. Cover with a sheet of pasta.
Another layer of filling, sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. And again a sheet of pasta.
Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Pour the remaining sauce around the edges.
Bake for 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees.
Lasagna goes well with wine and is a hearty and delicious dish.
Mozzarella goes well with many foods; it is a versatile cheese, well suited for cold appetizers, salads, pizza and casseroles.