We have been trying to find buffalo mozzarella that is comparable to what we had in Radda this past May but were diasppointed because all the imported products that we purchased were rubbery and chewey. Yesterday we found a fabulous product at Trader Joe's in Brookline,Ma. The Castelli buffalo mozzarella from Campania is the real thing--smooth and light--just like ricotta cheese. It costs $5.99.

I wonder if anyone else has recommendations for purchasing other products imported from Italy, i.e., olive oil, balsamic vinegar, etc.

Ken,
I haven't tried the Trader Joe's, but I will give it a try - thanks for the tip! I have bought some wonderful stuff at our fancy cheese store and I've noticed that with Buffalo Mozzarella that the key is to use it right away - freshness is critical.

-Krista

I recently tried, of all things, a water buffalo mozzerella made in Vermont. It had that fresh "milky" texture; and I would characterize the taste as almost sweet and lightly tangy together. It had more of a definite taste than the locally-made cow's milk mozzerella I usually buy, and made for a nice change. It was on sale at Whole Foods a few weeks back.

And I found the company's website! Star Hill Dairy

Yep, Ken and Amy. I've tried the one from Vermont; in fact we had a thread on mozzarella di bufala from Vermont a while back (NB -- I was then Mallory). My local Whole Foods sometimes carries it. They also carry two from Italy; both quite yummy as well. Will check the names next time I am there.

I agree that you have to eat it while fresh --- it's great at room temperature with some very good olive oil.

Buon appetito

Marian

The one thing that strikes me about Italy is how fresh and delicious the food tastes. We have never experienced anything quite like this in the U.S. A simple dish of tomatoes with mozzarella de dufala drizzled with nice olive oil is to die for and we are tickled pink to find that Trader Joe's offers a mozzarella that tastes as good as what we had in Italy.

KHB, I agree that freshness is really critical and I'm sure that even though the Trader Joe's product is great, it is even that much better if purchased in Italy as soon as it is made. Let us know what your opinion is after you try it.

Amy and Marian, my wife and I will check out Star Hill Dairy when we go back to Woodstock, VT. BTW, have either of you tried the Simon Pearce Restaurant in Quechee, VT? We love it and recommended it to Wendy and Richard for their foliage trip.

Marian, I had a chuckle after I read Dean's description of tasting buffalo mozzarella from a campagnia--"When I was in Sothern California with Whole Foods i worked with Agostino taste testing his Bubulis product as he developed it. As much as I like it, and some of the other products you can get, Mozzarella di Bufala from a small producer in Campagna is like sex and virginity. There is just no way to convince anyone how good it is until you have had the real thing. While there is bad mozzarella di Bufala made in Itlay, much as there is bad sex had everywhere, when ti is good it is just incomprehensible to one who has never ahd it."

I can tell you that my experience in Radda was similar but not related in the same terms i.e., when I tasted that delicious mozzarella my jaw dropped. I looked at my wife and said, Oh, my God, that is so good."

Anyway, on to another subject . . . tomato sauce. My wife is Italian, born here. She is a fabulous cook and loves to make sauce. In the past she had used 28 oz. cans of ground peeled tomatoes from various companies. Last year we came across a superior product called Marzano tomato sauce which tastes much better than Pastene or other brands. The Famoso brand of Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino, D.O.P. costs $2.49 per can (or less on sale) vs Pastene at $1.00 per can (or less on sale). I can tell you that we love the Marzano tomatoes much better. Has anyone tasted this brand?

I would encourage others to post their opinions on other products made in Italy that they feel are outstanding. We are always on the look out for something better, tastier, etc.

I've found that San Marzano tomatoes are better than the typical brands we find in our supermarkets. Unfortunately we can't purchase them nearby so I would love to hear whether anyone has found a good alternative.

Millie, I found this link for ordering San Marzano tomatoes: www.capriflavors.com/san_marzano.php

Thanks for the link. I always feel that I'm wasting $$ on mediocre tomatoes.

I'm not sure where we bought our San Marzano tomatoes--perhaps Stop & Shop. You might want to look around in your area because it's possible that someone may have them.

On Mozzarella di Bufala... WE now have a local Mozzarella made from cows milk called Blue Ridge. They deliver once or twice a week so the cheese is never more than 4 days old when we get it. It is superb for a couple of reasons. First is freshness. But the second is that they use a lactic acid fermentation to sour their milk and not vinegar. The lactic acid method takes longer and results in less cheese per gallon of milk, but the flavors are better. The Blue Ridge is a little creamier than that we had in Campania, but it is wonderful stuff indeed.

On tomatoes, Whole Foods in my region carries Bionatura Tomatoes. They are labeled "The Tuscan Tomato" and are quite superb. They are anywhere from $1.69 to $1.99 a large 28ox can depending on sale or not.

I'm not sure is there is a Whole Foods in this area. I think it may be located in Cambridge and I will try the Bionatura Tomatoes if I can find it. Thanks for the tip.

The Castelli brand of Mozzarella di Bufala is amazing--creamy like ricotta and quite delicious. You may want to try and compare if you can find a Trader Joe's in your area.

Are the stores still Bread and Circus or are they Whole Foods?

Dean-

They are now Whole Foods, but in true New England fashion, many of us still call them Bread and Circus.

Ken-

There is a Whole Foods near the Memorial Drive Trader Joe's in Cambridge. The shortcut (exit on the right of TJ's) pretty much takes you right to it.

I just bought canned San Marzano tomatoes in Fairway (NY, the uptown branch at 133rd & WS Highway). I bought one can of "La Valle" and the other "Nina". I shall give a report after I've used them. I also bought some terrific mozzarella di bufala; maybe it's just because I had the patience to wait nearly two hours until the cheese was really at RT. The brand is Casablanca, from Campana (sic); cost $7.99

Maureen,

I've just tried the Whole Foods in Cambridge. Wow, they have quite a lot of nice products including Coltibuono olive oil that we purchased in Radda. I was quite impressed.

Amy--I was given a sample of the Star Hill Dairy cow's milk mozzarella at Whole Foods and I felt that it was a good product but not as creamy as the mozzarella I purchased at TJ's. It could be because it was served cold.

Marian--Let us know how you like the La Valle and Nina brand of San Marzano tomato sauce. Jo-Ann has only used Pastene and Famoso brand so far. We favor Famoso. By-the-way, I believe we purchased the Caseblanca brand of Mozzarella di bufala that we got from Howard Case in San Francisco. We loved it and also feel that the Castelli brand at TJ's is equally as good. I think we paid $5.99 per container plus shipping (3 days UPS.

Anyone see this article in today's NYTimes about locally made fresh cheeses vs NY food laws?

There is a certain irony here. Many of these producers are taking a commercially made curd that comes in cryovac in a 5# block to make their mozz. This cheese is not really fresh mozarella in the sense of the cheese made in Battipaglia or anywhere along the ss18 in Campagna. There the pasta filata is made from fresh curds made the same day.

Again, that Cinese meat market leaving its meat out is leaving hormoine and antibiotic filled beef or portk out that is devoid of the true flavors of the meat. The animals themselves are probably bred to have less marbling or softer protien fibers and no flavor.

Too many farmers markets just have farmers or their agents selling commercial grade produce, often at a premium price.

Artisan production is not a matter of presentation or final handling but of sourcing. It is a farm to table approach. As I said, its ironic that what often passes for tradition today in NYC, at least in these cases, is actually a bastardization of the old and new world. It is a farmer's market offering heirloom and traditional vegetable. It is locally made, farmstead cheeses. It is meats grown without antibiotics, hormones, scientifically made feeds etc.

I would rather have a refrigerated tub of fresh mozzarella from Blue Ridge Dairy made the old fashioned way, with lactic fermentation of the milk to make the curds and same day processing of the curds into pasta filata. The cheese may wind up 4 to 6 days old before you buy it (we get it twice a week the day after it is made) but the whole process is artisinal.

When it comes to mozzarella, it loses its essence once refrigerated. The mozzarella at the Whole Foods market where I shop does not compare to the fresh, unrefrigerated milky mozzarella at the Italian deli directly across the street from this Whole Foods market. And, the deli's mozzarella is just mediocre. Mozzarella that has been refrigerated can be brought back a bit by submerging it in very warm and lightly salted water for 15 to 20 minutes or so.

Visitors to NYC will find excellent mozzarella--really fior de latte--at this store http://tinyurl.com/5zsjc.

Peter

Peter are you talking about Belgiovine? (I'm not psychic, I just recall that you are from this part of Essex County.) I've never bought their mozzarella, but have bought it at Nicolo's, the bakery on Baldwin St. Can't remember what it was like, but maybe I'll try Belgiovine's.

Yes, Marian, that is the same place. It is very good mozzarella. A&S Pork Store is a very good deli on Browerton Road in West Paterson and its mozzarella is a little better. The store is just a few hundred yards north of Route 46. Its selection of sausages are delicious and wonderful as are much of its prepared foods.

The best mozzarella that I know of in this part of NJ can be found at Fiore's or Vito's in Hoboken. There is a very good store in South Hackensack but the name escapes me right now. This phenomenon happens to me more and more often these days.

Peter

Marian, I just remembered the place in South Hackensack:

Central Bakery-Clemente Bakery
120 Leuning Street, South Hackensack, NJ 07606

Peter

When I was in Mexico taking cooking classes in November..we made Oaxacan cheese, which was very similar to Mozzarella..
I just found a great site on the web..
making mozzarella so I am going to try..
I don't have a microwave.. I assume this keeps the cheese elastic, I now here they keep it in the whey's..and their hands look like little lobsters when they make it!

Marian,

Let us know what you think of the La Valle and Nina brand of tomato sauce. Jo-Ann made some sauce with Famoso brand San Marzano tomatoes, baked sausage stuffed with provolone cheese and garlic, and roasted green peppers--all mixed in with the sauce. Can't wait to try it. I stopped by TJ's in Cambridge to pick up some Castelli mozzarella from Campagna. We'll have that with vine ripe tomatoes, basil, oregano, and some olive oil from TJ's--yummy. There is nothing better than a homemade Italian meal!

quote:

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Originally posted by KenC:

There is nothing better than a homemade Italian meal!

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... enjoyed while watching the Red Sox play in the world series

You got that right!!! Go Red Sox! How are you doin Maureen? We're going to win it tonite.