Diet-Ruining Mozzarella Sticks
Me every Sunday: “I want to start a diet, but I also want to coat cheese in bread crumbs and fry it.” This weekly struggle has led to a perfect mozzarella stick recipe and a not-so-perfect duo of love handles. I volley between whether I prefer to be skinny or temporarily satiated, though cheese typically wins, and unsurprisingly so. Is there anyone in the world who can resist gooey, cheesy amazingness drenched in marinara sauce? If that anyone is you, then you need to reconsider your priorities. Denying yourself cheese is Stephanie Tanner levels of rude, and I’m simply not here for it.
Ingrediënten
- 1-pound block mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2½ cups panko bread crumbs
- 1¼ teaspoons minced garlic
- 1¼ teaspoons minced onion
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
- Pomodoro sauce page 121 or your favorite jarred sauce, for serving
Instructies
- Set a wire rack in a baking sheet and coat with nonstick spray.
- Cut the mozzarella into ½ by 3-inch sticks (you should have about 18).
- Set up a dredging station using three shallow dishes.
- Put the flour in one and season with salt.
- Put the eggs and cream in the second dish and whisk to combine.
- In the final dish, combine the panko, garlic, onion, basil, parsley, and oregano and season with salt.
- Dredge 1 piece of mozzarella in the flour, dip it in the egg mixture, and roll it in the panko mixture to coat all sides.
- Dip the mozzarella stick back in the egg mixture, followed by the panko.
- Transfer to the prepared rack.
- Repeat with the remaining mozzarella.
- Freeze the mozzarella sticks for at least 1 hour before frying.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil to 360ºF.
- Remove the mozzarella sticks from the freezer and, working in batches of 4 or 5 at a time, fry the mozzarella sticks until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer back to the wire rack, season lightly with salt, and repeat with the remaining mozzarella sticks.
- Serve with the Pomodoro sauce.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
For this recipe, stay away from fresh mozzarella. It will not hold up as well as the processed favorite, Polly-O.
