Buffalo-Milk Mozzarella Caprese
I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll mention it again because it’s just too delicious to ignore: real-deal mozzarella cheese, made from buffalo milk. Like the fresh mozzarella made from cow’s milk, Italian mozzarella di bufalo is also a cheerful roundish knob of cheese that is packaged in its whey. (The whey is the cloudy liquid that naturally drains off certain dairy products, like Feta cheese and yogurt.) The whey keeps the cheese fresh and supple, plus you can reserve the whey to use in other culinary settings: as cooking liquid for rice or noodles, as an addition to sweet or savory smoothies, or used in place of the water or milk called for in a recipe. Drained-off whey will keep for at least a week (probably two) in the refrigerator.
Now that tomatoes are in full swing, it’s the perfect time to try out some mozzarella di bufalo: just cut off a few slices of the cheese, add a few sliced tomatoes and some strips of fresh basil, and drizzle on a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (In this instance, I choose to use red and golden sweet tomatoes from my garden.) Voilá! You have an insalata caprese, or an Italian Caprese salad. Or you could just enjoy the mozzarella all on its own — the kind made from buffalo milk has a richer, creamier, fresher taste than type made from cow’s milk. Of course, fresh mozzarella is far, far superior to processed, block-style mozzarella regardless of whether the milk came from a buffalo or a cow. The freshness quota of the former is off the charts compared to the salty, rubbery nature of the latter.
Those resourceful Italians make several kinds of cheeses from buffalo milk, actually, but such delicacies are tough to find; you’re more likely to spot a container of mozzarella di bufalo at your local market than any other kind of buffalo’s-milk cheese.
Happy tasting!
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Tags: basil, buffalo milk, insalata caprese, mozzarella, tomatoes, whey
