Neapolitan “Mozzarella in Carrozza” {Mozzarella Stuffed French Toast}

I don’t remember last time I had “Mozzarella in Carrozza” (literally, Mozzarella in a Carriage, a sort of mozzarella stuffed French toast) in Italy. I must have been a kid, I must have been in Naples (this recipe is popular in my region, Campania), and it must have been Sunday, that is when people wear their best clothes to go to church, and you can smell great food everywhere, lasagne most probably, and it is all about big expectations about the lunch… After the lavish experience nothing exciting is left to wait for. When not even crumbs survived in your plate, your beautiful Italian Sunday turns into a gray day with a blue Monday approaching fiercely.

Ok, I might be theatrical (as usual!) but with no doubt having breakfast with something other than biscotti and coffee marks a special occasion in Italy. It can only happen on Sunday morning when moms finally find time to cook the first meal of the day. My memory of childhood is full of genuine flavors. I may not remember details (what else apart from having a big/endless lunch was going on?) but I still clearly retain in my memory the distinctive taste of slices of bread dipped in the flour and eggs, stuffed with stringy mozzarella and then fried.

This Mozzarella in Carrozza recipe is to recall those Sundays in Italy. Being rather high in calories they come at a cost and shouldn’t be eaten too often. Cooking in a little oil instead of deep frying them is a trick that made my Mozzarella in Carrozza a lighter treat. I felt a little less guilty. In any case, I’ve decided it is fine to indulge in old and familiar flavors and to enjoy portions of sweet memories, from time to time.