The Working Lunch #55

The lovechild of a cheese toastie and a Findus Crispy Pancake

Hello again

What are you having for lunch today?

I hope it’s something tasty. Maybe you’re having a favourite lunch. A good sandwich or a bowl of some comforting soup, something that always puts a smile on your face. It’s so nice when you look forward to what you’re having. It adds a bit more emphasis to your lunch break. An element of enjoyment rather than simply filling a need.

Let’s face it, lunch can get some bad press. Boring. Repetitive. The same old sad sandwich or pot of pasta. Why don’t we give it the same care and attention that we do the evening meal?

Just a sandwich…

Fried mozzarella melt

AKA mozzarella in carrozza (or the lovechild of a cheese toastie and a Findus Crispy Pancake*)

I think that anything that involves a breadcrumb coating needs to be considered very carefully to assess whether it’s worth the faff. Three extra plates (one for flour, egg, and breadcrumb) is too much extra washing up and clearing up — especially at lunchtime when time is of the essence — and frying anything in more than a splash of oil adds even more clearing up.

But, these babies are worth it and they came together quicker than I thought. With only a 2-step breadcrumb method, it’s actually very little mess. I only ended up using a board, two plates and a frying pan.

You don’t need to use flour as the egg soaks straight into the bread and makes a good enough glue for the golden breadcrumbs to stick to.

From the two (ok, three) sandwiches that I made, I found out the following: it was better to use fresh soft supermarket bread rather than slightly stale bakery bread. The softness meant the sandwich not only held together better, but the breadcrumb coating covered more evenly.

Give them a try and you’re in for a treat.

Ingredients:

(for one sandwich)

• 2 slices of thick sliced soft white bread

• Butter or spread

• Grated mozzarella

• Egg

• Breadcrumbs

• Oil for frying

To make:

Assemble the sandwich by buttering two slices of bread, and filling the sandwich with grated mozzarella. Don’t overfill it. I’ve used grated mozzarella; the fresh mozzarella balls would add too much moisture.

Squish the sides together so the butter sticks to the cheese and the bread encases it.

Put a shallow layer of oil into the frying pan and put it on the heat to warm up.

Crack the egg onto one of the plates, and give it a little whisk.

On the next plate, sprinkle a generous layer of breadcrumbs.

Carefully dip the sandwich first into the egg mixture, then into the breadcrumbs.

Then fry the sandwich in the hot oil, turning it after a few moments. The sandwich should be crisp and golden, with a melted cheese filling.

Simple swaps:

• If you don’t have breadcrumbs, you can do it by simply dipping the sandwich into flour, egg and milk - see Nigella's recipe for mozzarella in carrozza.

• Any cheese that melts, such as cheddar, would work well if you don’t have mozzarella.

• You could use mozzarella balls and slice or tear them, but I’d be wary of the excess moisture.

• A dipping sauce like a tangy tomato chutney or chilli jam would be good.

*Apparently they’ve not been called Findus Crispy Pancakes since 2019!

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Not feeling the love with this week’s lunch idea?

How about…

Mozzarella & Sun-dried Tomato Panini

Katsu Salad

Slow-cooker Baked Beans

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Lunch chat

Talking of same-old sandwiches, what are your favourites?

Let me know in the comments.

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Don’t forget that you can tuck into the archives at any time.

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