Homemade Mozzarella Sticks

There is no denying that I LOVE cheese. And, the more ways I can prepare it and consume it, the better. The last time I made pizza margherita I had a bit of fresh mozzarella leftover, so I quickly coated it in egg and breadcrumbs and fried it up in a little bit of oil. What occured was a greasy mess without much crunchy breading, but still was pretty gooey and good.

So, inspired by an initial, unplanned run at a fried mozzarella I set off to create homemade mozzarella sticks to go along with pizza margherita (again, just another vehicle for the cheese). The result was a super easy appetizer that yielded golden brown sticks with perfectly gooey mozzarella on the inside. I think there are a few things to keep in mind with this recipe. First, don't use fresh mozzarella. Use the blocks of mozzarella you find by all the packaged cheese. Second, cut the mozzarella into sticks about 1/4-inch in size. I initially thought this would be too small, but they tend to swell in the oil after they've been double coated in the egg & breadcrumbs. This size will melt the mozzarella before it starts to ooze out of the end! And last, but not least, double coating is the key...order should be egg, breadcrumbs, egg, breadcrumbs, deep fryer.

Here's there recipe for my new favorite treat!

Ingredients:

• Block of mozzarella, cut to 1/4-inch sticks
  
• Breadcrumbs seasoned with italian seasoning and garlic powder
  
• 1 egg
  
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
  

Directions:

1. Cut the block of mozzarella into 1/4 inch sticks and set aside in refrigerator.
   
2. Mix egg up in a small dish and pour breadcrumbs into a separate dish
3. Using tongs, roll the mozzarella in egg, then coat with breadcrumbs. Follow by rolling the coated sticks back in the egg and breadcrumbs again, taking care to not rub the first coating off. Set on a foil lined plate. When finished with all the sticks, place the plate in the refrigerator until the oil is ready to keep cold. This will help prevent the sticks from melting too quickly in the oil and oozing.
   
4. Heat oil to 350-375 for deep frying
   
5. Deep fry a few sticks at a time. When they float to the top, and are a nice golden-brown they're ready to come out. Keep an eye on the ends for oozing sticks and pull those out as soon as you can.