Mozzarella Nights: the ballad of this cheesy hobby

When you're seeking comfort on cold nights, mozzarella recipes are here to slay the winter beast.

Stuffed onions with pancetta and mozzarella Source: Rachel Tolosa Paz

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but grabbing a packet of pre-grated 'mozzarella cheese' from the supermarket cold shelf doesn't always cut it.

Pre-grated cheese has a low-moisture content (otherwise it would all just clump right back together). It might result in good browning in the oven, but it also tastes rubbery and bouncy and generally nothing like the mozzarella you want to be eating.

Think fresh

Fresh mozzarella comes in two kinds. First, the 'real' kind according to mozzarella aficionados (of which you are now one). This is fresh mozzarella made from buffalo's milk, aged for only a few hours. It's the traditional Italian way to make mozzarella and the flavour is delicate and creamy, but with a distinctive tang.

“Once, a buffalo farmer and cheese maker in Italy said to me: ‘You need to understand that the mozzarella has to be so fresh, you should feel the buffalo breath in the cheese as you eat it,” Elena Swegen told SBS Food. You can read more of her story here:

Then there's the cow's milk variety - the kind you are most likely to find wrapped at the deli or supermarket. In Italy, cow's milk mozzarella is often referred to as fior di latte, not mozzarella. It's lower in moisture content than buffalo mozzarella, so the cow version is good for pizzas and other dishes that require a good melt.

The key to buying cow's milk mozzarella is to look for a version that is white, not yellow. It will preferably be packaged in a container filled with whey, not wrapped in plastic. If you buy anything less, you'll face a cheese set like a rubber doormat the instant it cools.

Now, go wrap your best fresh mozzarella around some of these beauties.

Mozzarella with roasted garlic

This dish is a celebration of mozzarella's unique texture and flavour. Source: Sharyn Cairns

When you get your hands on the finest buffalo mozzarella, this is the dish you want to make. It puts the cheese right in the centre of its olive and garlic heart.

Cheesy fire chicken

It’s said that many Koreans eat extremely spicy food as a stress relief and this dish will surely numb any pain. Source: Billy Law

This is the ultimate way to fire up your mozzarella. Buldak is hot, hot, hot! The mozzarella does double duty, putting out fires while it works its creamy magic.

Stuffed onions with pancetta

This dish is a mouth-explosion of sweet, savoury, creamy and sublime. Source: Rachel Tolosa Paz

Slow-cooked onions, sweetly caramelised and topped with one of nature's blessed food combos: pancetta and mozzarella. These little taste bombs will rev up any meal.

Potato pizza

Stack your flavours with creamy mozzarella, salty Parmesan and fresh potato doing justice to pizza. Source: Feast magazine

Trust only the simplest pizza toppings to showcase mozzarella's deliciousness. This potato, zucchini flower and buffalo mozzarella version gets it exactly right.

Corn pancakes with pork

What really makes a cachapa a cachapa is the melted cheese inside. Source: The Latin Kitchen

When a recipe calls for melted cheese, it's got to be mozzarella for the win. This Venezuelan dish provides just the right amount of cheesiness to balance the sweet and savoury pancake.

Portobello pizzas

These low-carb pizzas are suitable for vegetarians and healthy to boot. Source: Photography © Smith & Gilmour

Turn mushroom pizza on its head by making the mushrooms the main event. No dough, just veggie magic and plenty of mozzarella.

Silverbeet pie

A good mozzarella will produce the necessary cheesy stretch that a pie like this demands. Source: Rachel Tolosa Paz

The sharp tang of silverbeet needs a gentle partner and the creamy mildness of mozzarella is a good match. It balances silverbeet's overwhelming tendencies to bring balance to this cheesy Argentinian pie.

Shakshuka

Extra-creamy buffalo mozzarella works best with shakshuka. Source: Desiree Nielsen

What could possibly make this Middle Eastern brunch favourite even better? Why, mozzarella, of course. After all, tomatoes are always happiest when they're playing with cheese.

Fried mozzarella balls

Mozzarella fritta often served as a snack for Italian aperitivo. Source: Paola Bacchia

Bocconcini are small mozzarella balls that you can find in most supermarket cabinets. They make a great snack straight from the container, but don't forget to cook with them as well. This recipe will convert you quick-smart.

Baked cheese atayef

Atayef are typically served as small folded pancakes, but here they're layered flat (presumably to show off the mozzarella). Source: May Rizk

Ricotta is not the only cheese that works well in sweet dishes, as this atayef shows. Mozzarella has a gentle creaminess, but also offers its signature stretch to add fun to desserts and sweets.

Mozzarella sandwich

Carrozza, a fried mozzarella sandwich, is traditionally made from day-old sliced bread filled with mozzarella. Source: Paola Bacchia

There's a cheese toastie, and then there's a fried mozzarella sandwich. Make this recipe and you will never confuse the two. You'll probably never make a cheese toastie again either.

Cheesy potato croquettes

Crispy on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside, the biggest challenge is waiting for your croquettes to cool down enough to eat. Source: Sharyn Cairns

When you take a bite and the cheese follows your hand back to the plate. That's amore!

Filo triangles

This Middle Eastern recipe reveals just how versatile fresh mozzarella is. It pairs so well with ingredients used all over the globe. In this dish, it's working back well with cumquats, orange-blossom water and filo pastry.

Gnocchi Sorrentina

Shredded buffalo mozzarella and torn basil takes this classic dish to a new level. Source: Jono Fleming

Despite its willingness to work with any cuisine, any time, the last word has to go to a classic Italian dish. After all, the king of all buffalo mozzarellas, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana originated in Campania and Italians do any kind of cheese so well. Be generous with the mozzarella in this dish (and in life).