Recipe

Mozzarella fritta con pesto limone

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Mozzarella fritta con pesto limone

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by Kitchen Butterfly

Mozzarella fritta con pesto limone

Photo 2 of 2
by Kitchen Butterfly

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe Using Fresh Mozzarella
    This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Fair Food
  • A&M's Testing Notes: It's hard not to love warm, gooey, oozy, stretchy cheese with a crispy coating. The basil and lemon add lots of fresh flavor. Eat immediately, mixing and matching lemon, basil, cheese, pesto...

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  • Chef

    Kitchen Butterfly's Notes: E passata di cottura - ‘The cooking has passed’. It means the essence of the food is gone. Like with Carbonara not immediately eaten, or risotto after its perfunctory 'stand-still' at the...

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Serves 4

Mozzarella fritta con pesto limone:

200g Fresh Mozarella (I used a log), cut into 8 thick slices Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons plain flour Ask a question about this ingredient

4 – 6 tablespoons panko (or coarse breadcrumbs) Ask a question about this ingredient

¼ teaspoon salt, to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

1 egg, lightly whisked Ask a question about this ingredient

Olive oil, to shallow fry Ask a question about this ingredient

Lemon pesto (recipe below) Ask a question about this ingredient

Lemon zest and basil leaves, to garnish Ask a question about this ingredient

Slices of Italian bread, to serve Ask a question about this ingredient

  1. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix well and set in a wide plate. Dip each piece of mozzarella in the seasoned flour, on both sides.

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  2. Follow by placing floured cheese rounds in the egg, turning over so both sides are dipped then finish off by crumbing in the panko.

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  3. Set a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and gently heat then place the breaded cheese rounds, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.

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  4. Let each side fry for 1-2 minutes till golden. Flip over and repeat on the other side.

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  5. Remove and serve immediately with lemon pesto and extra strips of lemon zest

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Pesto Limone (Lemon Pesto):

A handful of basil leaves, washed and shaken to rid excess water Ask a question about this ingredient

1 garlic clove, peeled Ask a question about this ingredient

2 – 3 tablespoons flaked almonds, dry-roasted Ask a question about this ingredient

2 – 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese Ask a question about this ingredient

1/3 - 1/2 cup (extra virgin) olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (I used my microplane) Ask a question about this ingredient

Lemon juice, to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

Salt, to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

  1. Put the basil leaves and garlic clove in a mortar and pound well till leaves are soft and bruised and garlic is crushed.

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  2. Add the almonds to the mortar and with a circular motion of the pestle, crush them….. to bits.

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  3. Using a spoon, add a tablespoon of the Parmesan and then loosen with some of the oil. Add more Parmesan, follow this with more oil, till you have the consistency you like. I like mine fairly loose so I tend to add more oil. When you have the consistency you like, add the lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice then salt to taste. Stir well and set aside.

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  4. (If using a food processor, you’ll need to drizzle the oil in and that’s one area you have to watch out for if you’re using extra virgin olive oil as it contains bitter tasting polyphenols coated by fatty acids, which prevent them from dispersing. If the oil is emulsified in a food processor, these polyphenols get squeezed out and the liquid mix turns bitter ( as read here: http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2009/03/06/pesto-looks-all-too-familiar-wait/).

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13 Comments on Mozzarella fritta con pesto limone

Img_2764 Reply

Oh how beautiful! I can almost taste the stretchy cheese, the crunch, the bright flavors.

Oldies_joemare_bd Reply

Looks amazing, absolutely delicious.

Copy_of_me Reply

Yum, loved these a year ago and still do :) !!!!

Copy_of_me Reply

I have NO clue why my comment is there twice...hmm, maybe because I loved this recipe last year and this (?)!!!

Copy_of_me Reply

Loved these a year ago, and still do!!!!

Ozoz_profile Reply

Thanks for your comments....let me know if you try it!

Mrs Reply

This sounds yummy, KB. Thanks for the recipe.

Hib_kitchen Reply

I am definitely going to make this. Love the mildness of the cheese with acid of the lemon. Fabulous combo.

Cheese_for_twitter0001 Reply

Very interesting.

Img_0828 Reply

These look amazing! I cannot wait to try them.

Ozoz_profile Reply

They aren't bad, though the photo doesn't nearly do them justice. See, my camera is in the shop and I've had to resort to my kids 3MP camera.......Thanks

Copy_of_me Reply

Love lemon, love mozzarella and love this combo!

Profile Reply

Yum!

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