Mar 1, 2010

Mozzarella Sticks

These are one of the snacks I made this year for the Superbowl, along with soft pretzels and spicy baked chicken tenders.   I've never tried making my own mozzarella sticks before so I thought I'd give it a try.  Next time I make these - I would bread them a day or two ahead of time - and freeze until ready to fry.  This would help avoid some of the difficulty of breading each of these and trying to fry them at the same time.  I actually only fried 6 of these - and the rest are in my freezer for sometime in the future.  One of the Food Rules by Michael Pollan - are that you should only eat fried foods sparingly - and if you do to make it yourself.   These tasted great - but the hassle of frying will likely stop you from eating something like this too often.  Enjoy - they were delicious!

Ingredients
  • 16 ounce block of mozzarella cut into 1/4 inch strips
  • 1 cup canola oil for frying
  • 1 cup of Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan
  • 1/2-1 cup of flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
Directions
1. Flash freeze the cheese sticks by laying them flat on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan and placing them in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
2. When ready to make -heat up the oil in a cast-iron skillet or dutch oven to 365 degrees.
3. While the oil is heating up (or if not making immediately - you can freeze them after this step), mix the the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl.
4. Coat the mozzarella with flour first, then egg, and then breadcrumb mixture. 
5. Carefully place them in the hot oil, but don't crowd the skillet. Fry them for about 2-3 minutes each side.
6. Serve with your favorite marinara for dipping.


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