An Ode to the Mozzarella Fella

Our version of the Mozzarella Fella's #8 sandwich- chicken with caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, and their famous fresh mozzarella

Since they've opened in downtown Sarasota, we've been several times to the Mozzarella Fella (although not as much as my mom, who works across the street...dangerously close!). The menu is simple, but the flavored are not. Something as simple sounding as a caprese sandwich is outrageously good with the addition of pesto and arugula. The bread is really delicious too, but the shinning star of all their dishes is their fresh mozzarella, made right in the store. I could just eat the cheese as is, but it's deliciously complimentary to their sandwiches and salads. Unfortunately for us, we live 45 minutes away and they're closed at nights, so we don't have a lot of opportunities to go there. We tried the next best thing, we recreated one of their sandwiches at home.  With the help of buying their cheese, it turned out quite delicious (although the grocery store baguette didn't even come close to comparing to theirs).

Ingredients for "the number 8":

1 crusty baguette
4 chicken cutlets
Fresh mozzarella, cut into slices
1 large onion, sliced 
1 pint sliced mushrooms (we used white button)
Butter
1/4 cup Marsala wine
Salt and pepper

Start by heating a large frying pan on medium high heat with 2 tablespoons butter and add the onions and seasoning once the butter is melted. Cook on this heat for five minuets until the onions just start to brown, then reduce heat to low and cook for an hour. The onions should be completely caramelized. Remove onions from pan. Turn heat to medium low and add two more tablespoons of butter. Add the sliced mushrooms and seasoning. Cook for 30 minutes until browned. Then turn heat to medium high and add Marsala. Cook while stirring constantly until wine is evaporated.  Remove mushrooms from pan. Turn heat to medium high and add 1 tablespoon butter. Before adding chicken to the pan, season both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Sauté the chicken on each side for five minutes or until cooked through. All of the cooking steps can be done ahead of time and then heated up before assembling sandwiches. For sandwiches, add chicken, mozzarella, onions, and mushrooms on baguette. I'll admit they're not as good as the real thing at the Mozzarella Fella, but they were darn tasty!