Stefano’s mozzarella in carrozza

By: Jim McDougall, Stefano de Pieri
From: Nuovo Mondo
Makes: 6
Photographer: Alan Benson

Stefano: These mozzarella in carrozza are made using a ‘live’ culture batter that needs to be treated as if it were a child; feed in the morning and the evening. My recipe is for a quick batter with only one feed, but for the best results, make the batter two days (four feeds) before you use it. The batter can be used for anything you wish to deep-fry. The recipe was given to us by a chef who worked at Stefano’s, Davide Barbisan, and it has been kept and used by another Stefano’s stalwart, Ashley Allford, who kindly supplied it to us again.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
6	fresh mozzarella cheese
12	good-quality anchovy fillets
3	white bread, crusts removed and cut into 5 cm squares
300ml	full-cream milk
	vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Batter

Quantity	Ingredient
560g	plain flour
205g	white sugar
3 tsp	salt flakes
1 1/2 tsp	dry yeast

Method

To make the batter, combine 3 cups of the flour with 185 g of the sugar in a large stainless steel bowl. Add the salt and the yeast and stir to combine, then make a well in the centre and add 1–1½ cups lukewarm water, adding the water carefully to form a thick batter (the amount of water will vary depending on the type of flour you are using). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 10 hours. The batter will almost double in size, and will then begin to shrink – this is when it needs to be fed. Lightly whisk the remaining flour and sugar to the batter, with enough lukewarm water, to make a thick batter again. Leave to sit again for 1 hour.
Encase a piece of mozzarella and one anchovy fillet between two squares of bread. Secure with a toothpick.
Preheat the oil to 180°C in a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan. Test the oil by dropping a little batter in it – if it sizzles furiously it is hot enough.
Dip each sandwich first into the milk, then into the batter to coat. Gently lower them into the hot oil and deep-fry, in batches, until golden. Drain on paper towel. Serve hot.