Mozzarella sticks

Recipe for mozzarella sticks: Makes 24

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 1 ½ hours

Ingredients

12 (1 ounce|30 gram) mozzarella cheese sticks, halved crosswise 3/4 cup|100 grams panko bread crumbs, finely crushed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 (28-ounce|800 gram) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon chili flakes kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper canola oil, for frying

Directions

1. Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes. Working with 1 piece of mozzarella at a time, dredge in flour, dip in eggs, and coat in breadcrumbs; repeat this process one more time, except this time, don't dredge them in the flour. Lay on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Heat olive oil and butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high; add garlic and onion and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes more, then add tomatoes, sugar, chili flakes, salt and pepper; cook until thick, 15-18 minutes. Keep marinara sauce warm.

3. Heat the oven to 250°F. Heat 2-inches canola oil in a 6-quart saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reads 365°F. Working in batches, fry the mozzarella until golden and crisp, about 1 ½ minutes. Transfer the mozzarella sticks to paper towels to drain and place in the oven to keep warm while frying the remaining sticks. Serve hot and with marinara sauce.

bon appetit