In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:

> On Wed, 9 May 2007 22:32:46 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
>
> > At Bristol Farms (San Francisco) yesterday, I noticed soft,
> > "Da Napoli" brand Mozzarella di Bufala, in plastic water-filled
> > bags. It was dated 05/06/07 -- I assume that means an expiration
> > date of June 5. (As opposed to May 6.)
>
> Yes - They label them backwards in Italy,
>
> > Is this possibly a reasonable product? Has it been pasturized?
> > (I'm kind of assuming for a soft cheese to get imported, it
> > must be.) Can such an item possibly be in good condition for
> > as long as a month?
>
> The stuff sold at CostCo has an expiration of about 2 weeks, from
> what I've seen. And you figure it took at least a week to get
> from Italy to the shelves. I'm not sure if it's the same brand
> you have, but the CostCo stuff is excellent. $10.99 for 1.1 lbs
> (4 balls). There's a slightly chewy skin to them, and in the
> middle is a rich, firm custard-like substance.
>
> I believe all the imported buffalo cheeses have to be made from
> pasteurized milk since the cheese is less than 90 days old.

And here's the best thing I've ever found to do with it. This dish is
one of my very favorites:


Mimosa Spaghetti

1 lb. FRESH thin pasta
2 ounces butter (2 to 3)
One FRESH mozzarella -- drained, minced
1 handful minced parsley (Italian)
3 egg yolks
4 tablespoons grated fresh parmesan cheese
salt

Cook pasta in plenty of well-salted water.

Meanwhile, put egg yolks, salt, parsley, parmesan, mozzarella, and
butter in large bowl. As soon as pasta is done (2-3 minutes), drain and
pour over other ingredients. Toss well to mix and serve very hot.

Add black pepper to taste at table.

For this dish, home-made pasta is by far the best. Store-bought "fresh"
pasta is a poor substitute. Don't even waste your time with dry pasta
from a box.

Also, don't waste your time with anything except a buffalo mozzarella in
liquid; you cannot make this dish with a "tennis ball" mozzarella.

--

Isaac