← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 8 slices slices of firm white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• 250 g mozzarella (2 balls), sliced 1 cm thick
• 3 Eggs
• 2 tbsp Milk
• 60 g plain flour
• 100 g fine dried breadcrumbs
• 500 ml sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying
• Salt

Method

1. Lay the mozzarella slices on kitchen paper, cover with more paper and leave in the fridge for 30 min to dry out; wet cheese makes soggy, spitting sandwiches.
2. Make 4 sandwiches with the mozzarella, leaving a small border, and press the edges firmly together. Cut each one in half.
3. Beat the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt in a shallow dish. Put the flour and breadcrumbs in two more dishes.
4. Dip each sandwich in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing so the coating sticks and sealing the edges well. For an extra-sturdy crust, dip again in egg and crumbs.
5. Heat 2 cm of oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat to 170°C (340°F). Fry the sandwiches in batches for 2–3 min per side until deep golden.
6. Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with a little salt and eat hot, while the cheese still stretches.

Tips

• Slightly stale bread soaks up less oil and holds its shape better.
• Add a basil leaf or a half anchovy inside, as some Neapolitan cooks do (the anchovy makes it non-vegetarian).

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

GialloZafferano Pasta Grammar Cooking with Manuela