dipaloselects.com Blog

Mozzarella, in all its forms, is perhaps the most recognized and revered cheese the world over. While there is a wide range from the ‘cheese in a bag’ to the certified Mozzarella di Bufala DOP, Di Palo Fine Foods has been known for decades for the high quality, handmade cow’s milk mozzarella they’ve produced in their store since it opened in 1910. Previously only available to patrons of the store, we’re now elated to share this Di Palo’s staple with a national audience.

Try this delicious gem that people of Little Italy, NYC have been enjoying for decades!

Cow’s milk mozzarella or fior di latte is made with a few simple ingredients.

So you’ve ordered some fresh mozzarella and you want to know what to do with it. Once it arrives we suggest slicing it and letting it warm to room temperature. Once the cheese moistens up you can use it for salads, drizzle it with some olive oil or pair it with some great salumi.

If you’ve got some left over it needs to go back in the fridge. Fresh mozzarella is best consumed within a few days since it is a fresh dairy product. If you notice the cheese starting to dry out, don’t worry. Use the remaining mozzarella for pizza or lasagna. This product is versatile, delicious, and most importantly, now available online!

Buon appetito!

Watch and learn from Lou how to make mozzarella right here!

We are very excited about the arrival of new products from the region of Basilicata in a few weeks! We are especially proud to be bringing in these products because Basilicata is where our family originally comes from. Next month we will be offering a new expanded selection of products from this region including dry ricotta dura, a new line of organic pasta, specialty peppers, pistachio cream and a local Caciocavallo.

Coming from the Pasta Filata family, Caciocavallo is produced in Calabria, Campania, Puglia, Abruzzo, Molise and Basilicata, differing slightly from region to region. Caciocavallo is a strange name for a cheese, literally translating to “horse cheese,” however, it is made from cow’s milk! The name comes from the fact that two cheeses are tied to each other with string tied to the knob at the top and then slung over wooden carpenter’s horses to age. The knobs at the top of the cheese resemble old harnesses of horses. Young, fresh Caciocavallo has a mild flavor, and the texture is soft and creamy. As it ages, Caciocavallo becomes sharper and has a dry texture.

"Horse Cheese" hailing from Southern Italy

We currently have Caciocavallo Silano DOP available from other regions if you would like to try it before we get the one from Basilicata in.

We will be sharing with you neat tidbits of information like this about other products from Basilicata as they come in, so be sure to check back for more info! We wish you all a very safe, fun and happy Easter!

Buon Appetito,

Lou Di Palo

Di Palo Selects is absolutely thrilled to announce our new partnership with Lidia Bastianich and Lidia’s Italy. For those of you who aren’t already huge fans, Lidia is a best-selling Italian cookbook author, renowned restaurateur and host of the popular Emmy nominated cooking program, Lidia’s Italy.

When Lidia wanted a reliable resource for her many hungry fans clamoring for a place to find the freshest, highest quality, Italian ingredients to use in her recipes, she turned to us, and we couldn’t be more flattered. We’ve admired Lidia for years for her passion, knowledge, and generosity of spirit, and we share a common goal of making Italy’s rich culinary heritage accessible to food-lovers all over the United States.

We are really proud to be working with Lidia and her team at Lidia’s Italy, and we suggest you all take a look at all that her wonderful books, television programs and website have to offer.

We hope that you come here to learn more about Italian cuisine and the special foods available on www.dipaloselects.com. This blog will bring you all the updates about the store in Little Italy, Enoteca Di Palo, the new wine-store next door, and all the news about events, seasonal celebrations and recipes, and news from the world of Italian food.

Stay tuned!