Muu Mozzarella features many vegetarian dishes, including Nerano di bufala, a pasta dish made with zucchini and three types of cheeses. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
It’s hard to overstate the pleasure of good mozzarella di bufala Campana.
The semisoft cheese made from the milk of the Italian Mediterranean water buffalo is shaped and cut by hand into porcelain-like balls of varying sizes. If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out.
Muu Mozzarella was founded by two Neapolitans who clearly love the cheese. Their menu is focused on mozzarella and other buffalo milk products, which they use for a fresh take on traditional dishes.
Muu Mozzarella celebrates the heritage of mozzarella di bufala Campana DOP through reimagined versions of traditional Neapolitan cuisine. The restaurant has two locations in Naples as well as eateries in Milan and Caserta. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
Mozzarella often is served with tomatoes and basil or cured meats, and during the summer with melon, in the four regions of central and southern Italy where the cheese has the official protected origin appellation known as DOP.
The simpler arrangements highlight the scent of fresh milk upon cutting into the cheese, which yields to a slight grassy flavor that is both delicate and intense.
Muu inventively uses mozzarella and other buffalo milk products to replace some ingredients typical of Neapolitan cooking. One such example is a pink lady apple accompanied by bite-sized mozzarella balls tossed in a basil pesto.
There is also sausage and friarelli, or broccoli rabe, tacos with smoked buffalo cream, warm potato chips with a smoked buffalo fondue and a deconstructed cannoli made with buffalo ricotta.
Moving down the menu, the variety of salads, sandwiches, pasta, fish and meat entrees leaves plenty to consider.
An appetizer of fried zucchini flowers at Muu Mozzarella in Naples, Italy is stuffed with buffalo ricotta and seasoned with Sichuan pepper. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
During a recent visit, my companion and I opted to start with a southern Italian favorite, fried zucchini flowers. In this case, the dish was reimagined with buffalo ricotta and Sichuan pepper. It arrived hot and with the flowers visible under a crispy breaded crust.
I often find this appetizer disappointing because it can be heavy and flavorless. But Muu’s version was light, balanced and not overcooked. The lightly seasoned ricotta added richness but did not overwhelm the delicate flavor of the flower. I didn’t taste the pepper but didn’t miss it.
For my entree, I was tempted to try the latte e pepe, fresh square-cut spaghetti cooked in buffalo milk with lemon, pepper and a pistachio garnish. But I couldn’t resist the rattacasa, Muu’s take on the traditional Neapolitan pasta with potatoes and smoked provola cheese.
Rattacasa is Muu's take on the traditional Neapolitan favorite of pasta with potatoes. The updated version includes smoked buffalo mozzarella instead of provolone. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
It arrived in a metal pan topped with a lid that also functioned as a grater for an accompanying cube of parmesan cheese. Muu’s version used smoked buffalo mozzarella to give the dish a rich sauce that nicely coated the pasta and potatoes, with plenty left over for scraping up with fresh bread.
The smoked cheese offered heft without the heaviness typical of this comfort-food favorite. I’d happily order it again.
We also tried the Nerano di bufala, fresh pacchero pasta with zucchini cream, and buffalo caciocavallo and pecorino cheeses. The dish was dotted with stracciatella buffalo cheese and garnished with zucchini chips.
My dining companion enjoyed the velvety zucchini sauce but found the pasta a bit too al dente. I thought the dish lacked the flavor punch of spaghetti alla Nerano, which is traditionally made with fried zucchini, provolone del Monaco cheese and basil.
While the zucchini chips were reminiscent of the traditional version, they didn’t add much to the dish except for an unpleasant crunchiness.
For dessert, we turned down tiramisu and cheesecake for the cannolo scomposto featuring buffalo ricotta, chocolate chips and homemade dulce de leche wafers.
Cannolo scomposto is a sort of deconstructed cannoli featuring sweetened buffalo ricotta, chocolate chips and dulce de leche wafers. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
The whipped, lightly sweetened buffalo ricotta was the star of this treat, which included a drizzle of dulce de leche. While I found the wafers bland, my counterpart appreciated their thinness and crunch.
With its bright, modern decor, excellent service and emphasis on putting a new twist on old Italian favorites, Muu is sure to make Italy’s mozzarella di bufala producers proud.
Muu Mozzarella
Address: Via Partenope, 18, Naples. There are also branches in the Chiaia neighborhood, Milan and Caserta.
Hours: noon to 1 a.m. daily
Prices: Appetizers and light bites, 6-14 euros; charcuterie platters, 30 euros; pasta, 12-16 euros; fish and meat, 14-18 euros; salads, 10-14 euros; desserts, 7 euros. Beer, wine and liqueurs available by the glass or bottle ranging from 3-90 euros.
Information: Phone: +39 081 764 4540, Online: muumozzarella.it
