Italian cuisine: what to replace mozzarella with? Pizza under sanctions. How to replace Italian cheeses and vegetables What can you cook with mozzarella

How to replace mozzarella

Mozzarella is a constant component of many popular dishes, for example, Caprese salad, Margherita pizza. However, finding mozzarella in stores is becoming increasingly difficult. Recent economic events have led to suppliers reducing the volume of mozzarella they supply and significantly increasing its cost. In such a situation, what can you replace your favorite cheese with? We will try to answer this question.

So, if you need mozzarella for a salad and your goal is not to melt it, then there are four replacement options.

Cheese cheese comes first. Before using it, you need to soak it in milk - this will help draw out excess salt and make the taste more delicate.

In second place- Adyghe cheese. In terms of taste, it is quite close to mozzarella.

On the third- Suluguni. Suluguni cheese is a hard brine cheese made from buffalo or goat milk.

On the fourth- grain cheese.

If mozzarella is needed to make pizza, then a melting type of cheese is needed as a replacement. The best choice in this case is Tilsiter.
If this option does not suit you, there is only one thing left to do - make mozzarella yourself.

How to make your own mozzarella

For a beginner, the process will not be quick, but strictly following the recommendations will give the desired result - you will have your own mozzarella.

You will need: a liter of full-fat cow's milk, a glass of kefir, a tablespoon of salt, a tablespoon of vinegar (25%), gauze, a saucepan and a colander.

1) Pour the milk into a saucepan and place on the fire, heat until hot, but do not boil.
2) Remove the pan with milk from the heat and add 1 tablespoon of salt and a glass of kefir, mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
3) Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and leave to stand for 30 minutes. After half an hour, the milk should curdle. It will turn out that the translucent whey will begin to separate from the lumps of curd mass. If this does not happen, it means that you used unnatural milk or not fat enough. In this case, bring this mixture to a boil, the curds will begin to separate from the whey.
4) Take another pan, place a colander on top, and line it with a waffle towel or gauze folded in several layers. Place the curd mixture in a colander and let the whey drain completely.
5) Squeeze the curd mass thoroughly directly into the towel, as the quality of the squeeze significantly affects the taste and structure of the mozzarella.
6) When the whey is no longer squeezed out of the cheese, wrap the mozzarella in cheesecloth (so that it does not dry out), leave it in a colander with a saucepan and put it in the refrigerator overnight so that the remaining whey finally drains into the saucepan.
7) In the morning, unwrap the mozzarella ball, place it in a bowl and pour in the separated whey. Place the cheese in the refrigerator for another day. Your homemade mozzarella is ready.

Now you know what you can replace mozzarella with

Mozzarella is an Italian cheese made from buffalo milk, but in most cases the product sold is made from cow's milk. Many famous Italian dishes cannot be imagined without this cheese. However, it cannot always be found in retail outlets. So what can you replace mozzarella with if it’s not on the shelves of your nearest stores?

Cheeses identical in composition and manufacturing process are the only thing that can replace mozzarella. Suitable for these purposes: unsalted feta cheese, Adyghe cheese, Suluguni cheese, Tilsiter cheese.

First on the list of replacement options is feta cheese. Before using it, you need to soak it in milk - this will help draw out excess salt and make the taste more delicate.

The next one is Adyghe cheese, made from goat or sheep milk. In terms of taste, it is quite close to mozzarella.

When you are faced with the task of replacing mozzarella cheese, you can take Georgian suluguni. Suluguni cheese is a hard brine cheese made from buffalo or goat milk. The technology for creating cheese is similar to the production of Italian Provolone cheeses.

The question of how to replace this famous cheese arises especially often when it comes to making Margherita pizza at home. In this case, you can replace mozzarella in pizza with any easy-melting yellow cheese or Tilsiter cheese.

In case you are not satisfied with the substitution method, you can try making your own mozzarella.

To make your own mozzarella at home, you will need:

• liter of full-fat cow's milk,
• a glass of kefir,
• a tablespoon of salt,
• a tablespoon of vinegar (25%).

Equipment: gauze, saucepan and colander.

Preparation

• In addition to the increased fat content of milk, it is also required that it be fresh. Pour milk into a saucepan, heat, but do not bring to a boil.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 tbsp to the milk. l. salt and a glass of kefir, stir with a wooden spoon.
• Add vinegar and leave the milk to sit for half an hour. During this time the milk should curdle like cottage cheese. The translucent whey will rise and separate from the settled curd mass. If whey is not released, it means that the milk was not fat enough or unnatural. Then the mixture must be brought to a boil until the curd begins to separate.
• Place a colander on another pan and place gauze folded in layers on it. Place the curd mass in a colander to drain the whey completely.
• The curd mass must be properly squeezed in gauze, since the taste and consistency of your mozzarella directly depends on the quality of the squeeze.
• When all the whey from the cheese has drained, wrap it in cheesecloth and leave it in a colander placed on a saucepan, then put it in the refrigerator overnight.
• In the morning, unfold the gauze, place the resulting ball in a container, fill it with the whey that separated overnight, and put it back in the refrigerator for a day. After this, your mozzarella is ready to eat.

Mozzarella cheese is an invariable component of many popular dishes, for example, Caprese salad or Margherita pizza. But every day it becomes more and more difficult to find real Italian mozzarella in standard stores. And the current economic situation in the country has led to the fact that some suppliers have completely refused to cooperate with domestic manufacturers or have increased the price of the product.

In modern times, high-quality mozzarella for pizza has become a truly scarce and elite product. And if the kitchens of expensive restaurants buy cheeses in the required quantities from suppliers in any case, then finding them freely available has become a real problem. What to do in such a situation? In case of emergency, mozzarella on pizza can be easily replaced.

What cheese can replace mozzarella on pizza?

If you need mozzarella to make pizza, then you need to replace it with a melting type of cheese. The best choice in such a situation would be to use suluguni, feta cheese, tilsiter or Adyghe cheese.

If you use cheese, first soak it in milk. The level of saltiness will decrease, and the taste will become much more delicate. To create ideal meltability, use Adyghe cheese.

If you prefer to use mozzarella, you can prepare it yourself. The whole secret to the delicate taste of this variety lies in the use of young black buffalo milk, however, you can replace it with cow's milk.

Where can you order pizza with mozzarella in Moscow with delivery?

The Niyama restaurant offers delivery of pizza and rolls in Moscow around the clock, prepared in accordance with the traditions of Italian and Japanese cuisine. High-quality and fast service, polite communication and fresh products - this is what you will get by contacting us!

Sanctions are not a hindrance to pizza. The embargoed foreign components of a traditional Italian dish may be replaced by Russian analogues. Aif.ru asked about how to prepare pizza from domestic products Vladislav Metreveli, executive director of the National Association of Event Organizers (NAOM) and a culinary specialist with extensive experience.

Maria Tikhmeneva, AiF.ru: What affordable cheese can you replace mozzarella and how can you now prepare Margherita - pizza with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil?

Vladislav Metreveli: When preparing Margherita pizza, Italian mozzarella can be safely replaced with Adyghe cheese or Georgian suluguni cheese. In terms of taste, they are in no way behind Italian cheese.

But keep in mind that frozen mozzarella, which is not sanctioned, can be used for pizza or any other baked goods.

— In stores you can find Russian-made mozzarella. Could it replace cheeses for pizza?

— I think no, any Russian-made mozzarella cannot compare with Italian one.

— What about “4 cheese” pizza? It includes emmental, gorgonzola, parmesan and mozzarella - and all imported.

— Emmental can be replaced with Gouda cheese (Russian-made), there is almost no difference.

Gorgonzola is a blue cheese. This type can be perfectly replaced with another blue cheese that is not subject to sanctions, or with processed Viola cheese.

We have already talked about mozzarella, try unsalted suluguni or Adyghe cheese.

Parmesan can be replaced with regular hard cheese, such as Swiss cheese. True, the taste will still change a little.

— Speaking of blue cheeses, what alternatives do they have, since most of them came to us from Europe?

— Blue cheeses, or cheeses with noble mold, are tender and spicy. They are very good in soups, sauces and salads. It is important that they need to be put in just a little bit.

For example, the most famous French blue cheese, Roquefort, can be replaced with Adyghe cheese. Danablu blue cheese (Denmark) was created as an alternative to Roquefort cheese.

Try replacing French Roquefort and Danish Danablu with Adyghe cheese. It can be added to a salad, served with fruit (strawberries, peaches) or, as they do in Denmark, with bread or cookies. It's delicious crumbled over greens and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. You can serve Adyghe cheese as a snack: cut into slices or cubes and place on crackers. It is good in salads and as part of a cheese plate, and goes well with nuts.

Dorblu blue cheese is produced in Germany. Dorblu is one of the youngest cheeses, and therefore it is harder and has a less pronounced specific taste. According to the rules, Dorblu should be replaced with Gorgonzola or Roquefort, only it is similar to these species. In principle, any cheese with blue mold will do, for example, you can choose from Swiss ones, they are not subject to embargo.

— What can you say about tomatoes? Which ones are better to choose?

— For pizza, it is best to take cherry tomatoes; they taste sweeter and juicier than regular tomatoes. Belarusian and even our southern cherry tomatoes will work well. Our tomato pastes are also quite suitable for pizza.

— What can you come up with to replace artichokes and capers in the “4 Seasons” pizza?

— Artichokes are quite difficult to replace, if we are talking about an artichoke with sauce, for example, that is, an independent dish. If you are preparing sauce, salad or, like us, pizza, you can try pickled bell peppers.

Capers are used in many dishes, sometimes by first soaking them in a bowl of water or scalding them to remove excess salt. The taste is spicy, spicy, slightly tart, sour, slightly mustardy. You can replace them with pickled small gherkins.

— Many are still worried about olives, seafood, anchovies...

Neither olive oil nor canned olives are subject to an import ban into Russia. But before buying, you need to give preference to olives with pits and in a tin.

Seafood from the Primorsky Territory and Crimea has already gone on sale, and it can be used to make pizza.

Sprats, anchovies and sardines will not disappear from store shelves, as they are not subject to sanctions.

— Do you have a signature pizza recipe made from our products?

So, you took ready-made puff pastry from the grocery store or made it yourself when there was time. The simplest dough: flour and water with a little vegetable oil. In a frying pan with low sides, it was rolled out in a thin layer, going onto these same sides, and then in the following order the following actions were performed with products from the Soviet grocery store:

• the dough was coated with tomato paste;
• pieces of sausage and frankfurters cut into small cubes (or whatever was in the refrigerator at the time of preparation) were laid out in a checkerboard pattern;
• bell peppers were cut into thin slices (you could also add tomato pieces);
• chopped onions into rings were thrown on top;
• all this was generously covered with grated cheese (any cheese that was available).

The recipes of many salads include exotic cheeses. Some of them are difficult to find in the supermarket, others discourage us from preparing the dish with their inflated price tag, and sometimes a certain cheese simply does not suit our taste preferences.

One way or another, encountering an unfamiliar product often raises the question: what kind of cheese can replace it so as not to spoil the taste of the salad?

Interesting fact! The first written mention of cheese was made by Homer more than 3 thousand years ago. In his poem The Odyssey, he described in great detail how cheese was made.

And the first state to start selling cheese was the Netherlands. They produced a product in the form of large round heads.

From then until today, the shape of the cheese has remained virtually unchanged, despite the fact that there are already more than 2,000 varieties of cheese.

Replacement for exotic cheeses in recipes

Parmesan. This cheese gained popularity thanks to the well-known Caesar salad. It has a refined taste and an attractive grainy consistency, making it very easy to grate.

The famous Italian cheese is made from a huge amount of milk, about 500 liters per standard head weighing 40 kg, and matures for at least 2 years. That is why such a delicacy is extremely expensive.

Mozzarella. This cheese is sold in two variations: in the form of a small oblong head and small balls in brine. It is included in many salads, one of which is “Caprese” (fresh tomato and cheese salad). Pairs perfectly with fresh basil.

There are 4 complete mozzarella substitutes, but this does not apply to Caprese. This dish is based on this particular cheese and will lose its flavor if it is excluded.

1. "Brynza". Before adding to the salad, soak it in milk to remove excess salt.
2. "Adyghe" cheese. It doesn’t look good in place of mozzarella in brine, but it can replace dry cheese without any consequences.
3. "Suluguni". Brine cheese made from buffalo or goat milk. Tastes similar to mozzarella.
4. "Grained" cheese. The structure is an exact copy of cottage cheese, so it can only be used instead of cheese in brine.

Dor blue. The youngest of all types of cheese with blue mold, which is injected into the cheese with a special needle along with rennet.

Basically, Dor Blue is combined with salad dressing, but often it is crumbled into its contents. The most popular salad with royal cheese is with roast beef, pear and walnuts.

You can replace Dor Blue with any blue cheese. For example, aristocratic “Roquefort”, Italian “Gorgonzola”, spicy “Donable”. But compared to them, Dor Blue is much cheaper.

Camembert. In the recipes of some gourmet salads you can find Camembert, a cheese with white mold. The butter-soft cheese has a rough surface, a pearlescent hue and a salty, slightly peppery taste without a hint of sweetness.

As an alternative for a piquant salad, various noble cheeses are selected, but it is more logical to prefer a product with a similar mold color: “Brie”, “Buch”, “Cambazolla”.

True Norman Camembert is made exclusively from cow's milk and sold in a veneer box.

Among the 500 different types of cheeses, as many as 5,000 thousand unique varieties are distinguished, which means that you can find a replacement for any, even the most noble, delicacy!