Mozzarella

It's a lot of mozzarella. More than 600 tons, in fact, worth more than $1.5 million wholesale, say its producers. It was delivered from California in a series of shipments in May and June to a local distributor based in Marlton. But that is about all that Valley Gold, the manufacturer, and Joseph Profaci, the recipient, agree on. Lawyers for both sides spent more than two hours in U.S. District Court in Camden yesterday churning the issues in a breach-of-contract/fraud case based on a civil complaint filed last month by Valley Gold.

It was pizza-palooza in Philadelphia 2010, as kitchens from Headhouse Square to South Jersey and Ambler let the gourmet pizzas fly. Stephen Starr launched the 'za-fest with Stella, but was quickly followed into the promised land of artisan pies by Zavino, Dettera, Treno, City Tap House, Radice, Barbuzzo, and even the Garces Trading Co. With effects of the recession still lingering, the pizza players all aimed to feed the public's insatiable hunger...

The heat-blistered crust is as thin as a cracker, a round not much bigger than a dinner plate. Its toppings are minimalism at its best - a bloom of tomato sunshine dappled with mozzarella clouds and plumes of fresh basil. But it may go down as the pizza that saved North Broad Street. How can something as simple as a Margherita pie, let alone something as elemental as a new restaurant, have such a profound effect? It can when that pizza is miraculously good and that restaurant is the long-awaited Osteria from Marc Vetri, who may be the most important Philadelphia chef of his generation.

Cows have long ruled the mozzarella consciousness of most Americans who've embraced a good Caprese salad. But Italian water buffalo are the beasts we should really celebrate in that ode to fresh cheese and ripe tomatoes. Water buffalo ( not the same as American bison) were the original source of Campania's famed mozzarella, dating from the second century A.D., and I still find their cheese superior to even good renditions of cow's-milk mozzarella. The catch is the higher cost and lack of consistency in this delicate imported cheese, which has a tangy savor and a softer center that demands careful handling.

Jack and David Cunicelli, co-owners of 320 Produce Market and Deli in Swarthmore, always enjoyed the Caprese salad that their mom used to make for them when they were kids. Originating on the island of Capri, this salad of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil is an easy summertime meal - made even better in these parts when Jersey tomatoes are in season. But when it came time to create a sandwich menu for their business, Jack made a slight mistake. He had the region of Calabria, Italy, not Capri, on his mind, so he named the sandwich the Calabrese.

Don't be fooled by the dainty Art Nouveau interior at RoseLena's, 1623 E. Passyunk Ave. Owners Terry and Al Masino and their son and executive chef, Chris, serve one he-man of a sandwich in their rendition of the French Quarter favorite, the muffuletta. RoseLena's muffuletta is filled with mortadella, Genoa salami, prosciutto, mozzarella, provolone and, of course, the all-important olive spread. They get their French boules from Carangi's Italian Bakery. Terry Masino admits this sandwich may be considered an artery clogger, but only if one overdoes it. As her mother (RoseLena's namesake)

A good macaroni and cheese takes time. At least one that doesn't come out of a box. That's why, when leafing through the new cookbook Home at 7, Dinner at 8 (Kyle, $19.95), by Sophie Wright, the British chef's mac 'n' cheese caught my eye. She shortens cooking time by skipping the sauce, but keeps the result homogeneous and creamy by using Boursin and cream cheese. Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Makes 6 servings 1 pound penne pasta 5 ounces Boursin cheese 3 tablespoons cream cheese 9 ounces grated mozzarella cheese or fresh mozzarella 6 ounces fresh baby spinach 1/4 to 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan   1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water over high heat until al dente, about 9 minutes.

Q. I bought a loaf of whole-wheat bread, and when I cut a sandwich in half, I saw a bug. So I bought a different brand the next time and pulled a few pieces apart and found another bug. I quit buying whole-wheat bread, even though it's better for you than white. Now, I don't know if I'm just having bad luck, but when I unrolled my paper towels, I saw three or four insects. Is it possible for companies to control the bugs found in products? It's made me so paranoid, I inspect everything I buy now. Beth Brown Davenport, Iowa A. If I found bugs in three different products, I wouldn't call it bad luck.

Tangier, the saloon across from Graduate Hospital, is in spirit more bar than restaurant. There always seems to be a sporting event on the TV; the TV volume is turned down and the loud-sound-system jazz encourages even louder conversations. The wooden booths are hard and the beer varieties are many. But Tangier's kitchen has always done more than just sandwiches to go with the beers - more being duck with plum sauce, or chicken with crabmeat in a Parmesan cream sauce. Because a change of command is under way in the kitchen, it seemed time for a return visit.

ALPINE LACE FREE 'N LEAN CHEESE. American, white cheddar and mozzarella. $1.89 to $1.99 per 6-ounce shredded package or block of mozzarella or white cheddar. $1.99 to $2.09 per 8-ounce package of American singles. Also available in deli case for $3.99 to $4.99 a pound. BONNIE: Here's great news for those on fat- and/or cholesterol-restricted diets. Alpine Lace has three new cheeses, each with less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol and 0.5 grams of fat (fat-free by government labeling standards)

Peter McAndrews — yes, he's all Irish — married a second-generation Italian American woman, Lisa DiPaolo, and they honeymooned in Italy. After one bite of the food, "I didn't want to come back to America," he said. He ended up training for six months in Piedmont and six months in his wife's ancestral hometown of Molise. McAndrews, who spent a dozen years as chef at the American bar Rembrandt's in Fairmount, has opened a string of Italian concepts in Northern Liberties and the Italian Market, starting in April 2007 with Modo Mio in Northern Liberties, followed by two Paesano's sandwich shops, Monsu, and Popolino.

A good macaroni and cheese takes time. At least one that doesn't come out of a box. That's why, when leafing through the new cookbook Home at 7, Dinner at 8 (Kyle, $19.95), by Sophie Wright, the British chef's mac 'n' cheese caught my eye. She shortens cooking time by skipping the sauce, but keeps the result homogeneous and creamy by using Boursin and cream cheese. Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Makes 6 servings 1 pound penne pasta 5 ounces Boursin cheese 3 tablespoons cream cheese 9 ounces grated mozzarella cheese or fresh mozzarella 6 ounces fresh baby spinach 1/4 to 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan   1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water over high heat until al dente, about 9 minutes.

It was pizza-palooza in Philadelphia 2010, as kitchens from Headhouse Square to South Jersey and Ambler let the gourmet pizzas fly. Stephen Starr launched the 'za-fest with Stella, but was quickly followed into the promised land of artisan pies by Zavino, Dettera, Treno, City Tap House, Radice, Barbuzzo, and even the Garces Trading Co. With effects of the recession still lingering, the pizza players all aimed to feed the public's insatiable hunger...

Cows have long ruled the mozzarella consciousness of most Americans who've embraced a good Caprese salad. But Italian water buffalo are the beasts we should really celebrate in that ode to fresh cheese and ripe tomatoes. Water buffalo ( not the same as American bison) were the original source of Campania's famed mozzarella, dating from the second century A.D., and I still find their cheese superior to even good renditions of cow's-milk mozzarella. The catch is the higher cost and lack of consistency in this delicate imported cheese, which has a tangy savor and a softer center that demands careful handling.

Working man's food - it has to be good on the go, filling and cheap. Philly has its cheesesteaks, of course, Chicago its deep-dish pizza and Tokyo the takoyaki. That's "tako" meaning octopus plus "yaki" for grill: pieces of octopus-flavor balls of crepe-like dough that are served with a sweet sauce that has notes of plum, apricot and just a hint of vinegar and clove. A garnish of bonito-fish flakes adds to the aromatic quality. Philadelphia now has its own version of this street food - Maru Global, on 10th Street near Locust.

If you find yourself this holiday weekend with a houseful of energetic young tots and hungry parents, a trip to The Little Treehouse, in Chestnut Hill, will fill some hours with play and feed the crew with organic healthy options for a reasonable bill. Think a Chuck E. Cheese's, slow food, Please Touch Museum mash-up. This concept was the brainchild of owner Rachel Williams. As a mom of three little ones, she wanted a place with the community of a Starbucks but an environment that was tolerant of the behavior of the 5-and-under set, as well as clean and safe.

It doesn't have to be sashimi to be raw. The Italians call it il crudo , and the recently revived city branch of Girasole, slipped into a gold-plated boutique of a space in Symphony House, has one of the better versions I've tasted. Consulting chef and manager Michele Iovino has created a trio of composed raw fish that is vividly flavored, colorful and fresh: ribbons of Meyer-lemon-marinated branzino wrapped around sweet mozzarella balls beneath a sweet streak of mild mustard; firm slices of ricciola (a.k.

My sense of smell welcomes the yeasty, garlicky whiff that carries promises of fresh basil, mozzarella from water-buffalo milk, and tomatoes plucked from the slopes of nearby Vesuvius. This is an aroma that wasn't built in a day. Indeed, they've been turning out pizzas at the Antica Pizzeria Brandi, just off the trendy Via Chiaia, for more than a century; it was here that pizza got its modern look in 1889 when a treat was prepared for Queen Margherita and taken to the nearby royal palace.

When our cabdriver, Peppino, met me and my husband at the Naples airport, it was easy to guess that he was from Pompeii, because his craggy old face looked as if it was carved out of lava rock. Peppino took great pride in his hometown and acted as though the eruption of 79 A.D. had happened yesterday. "Look, you look. Lava, look," he said as we drove past lava formations. Early on, Peppino commanded my husband to sit in the front seat and me in back. That's how we drove everywhere.

Not every restaurant the Discreet Diner visits deserves five out of five stars. But every restaurant does have something to recommend it. So much is happening on the South Jersey restaurant scene that there really is something for everyone. Always in search of a new place to eat, the Discreet Diner stopped by Elements Cafe in Haddon Heights last week for lunch. I had read about Elements, opened in 2003, online first, and was looking forward to trying a variety of the tapas , Spanish for appetizers or small plates.