One Of My Favorite Appetizers - At Home

I couldn't even begin to count how many times I have ordered mozzarella sticks at a restaurant, only recently have I begun to wonder if I could do it at home. Well, the answer is - sort of.

I don't deep fry very often, nor do I have a proper thermometer, so that may have been the cause of some of the problems I experienced with this recipe. A few of my mozzarella sticks either burned/cooked too quickly because the oil was too hot, or cooked too slowly and the cheese melted out because the oil wasn't hot enough. I finally got it right and most of them were delicious, but were a lot of work....maybe I'll just keep ordering them at restaurants ;)



Mozzarella Sticks
Giada De Laurentiis/Food Network

Prep Time: 30 min Inactive Prep Time: 2 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 10 min Level: Intermediate
Serves: 6 to 8 servings (makes about 56 pieces) I cut the recipe in half

1 1/2 cups Italian-style dried breadcrumbs
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
2 (16-ounce) blocks pasteurized mozzarella cut into 4 by 1/2-inch sticks
4 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups Marinara Sauce, recipe follows You can find this recipe in the link above, I used my own pizza sauce recipe below

Stir the bread crumbs, 1 cup of Parmesan and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl to blend. Dip the cheese in the eggs to coat completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl.

Coat the cheese in the bread crumb mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the cheese sticks on a baking sheet. Repeat dipping the cheese sticks in the egg and bread crumb mixture to coat a second time. Cover and freeze until frozen, about 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the cheese until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer the fried cheese to plates. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve with the Marinara Sauce.

Pizza Sauce

8 oz tomato sauce
3 oz tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp oregano
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and let flavors blend before using. I heated the sauce up right before using.