Bufala Mozzarella and Pate' at Costco!

Who said that yummy food is the result of hours in the kitchen??? Today, as I was browsing through Costco (Salt Lake City store), I had to rub my eyes when I saw two items (next to each other) that I just had to have: Mozzarelle di Bufala and Pate'.

You are probably familiar with Mozzarella cheese. The American version is nothing like what we have in Italy. Italian fresh Mozzarella comes in little plastic bags with their own "milk-juice". When you cut them, they "sweat" the milk from the middle (I am getting hungry just thinking about it...). Costco usually had the regular Italian mozzarella, which comes in two small loaves individually packaged, distributed by Belgioioso. There is also an "upgraded" version of Mozzarella, which is made from milk of domesticated Italian buffaloes and that has a bit more flavor to it. They are also more expensive, since this particular cow is only found in some parts of Italy (mainly in the Campania region). I am afraid that not a lot of people will really know what they are and therefore Costco might discontinue this product soon (like they did in the past for fresh Ricotta cheese and for Mascarpone cream - sigh!). However, I am just glad I got to have a taste of it. They are best served with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt (see picture). They are also great on pizza.

The other item I got at Costco today was Pate'. Pate' is usually made out of geese's liver. We ate it all the time during the Christmas season when I was in Italy. This one is made of pork liver. I know, I know... it sounds disgusting, but believe me, I did not meet many individuals that did not like it after they tried it. It also looks like SPAM, which is too bad. The price was too good to let it go. Three pieces of differently flavored pate' (nearly 1 lb of total weight) for $4!! I think the reduced price is because this is a seasonal item (you might think that it is because of the liver part and that no one else wanted to buy it, but I would like to disagree on that...). It expires at the end of January so it is a lot of pate' to eat in two weeks, but I will do my best. It is essentially a spread, so you eat it in small quantities at the time on crackers or toasted bread (my "small" quantity tonight was nearly half of this pate' loaf!). The three flavors are: white wine, herbs and garlic, and peppercorn.