Mozzarella sticks

Name: Mozzarella sticks
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Mozzarella cheese (for pizza) 8.5 oz; Type 00 flour 1 cup; Eggs medium 3; Breadcrumbs ¾ cup; Corn flakes 3 oz; Fine salt 1 tsp; Peeled tomatoes 12 oz; White onions 1; Whipping cream ½ cup; Garlic 2 cloves; Fresh chili pepper 2; Fine salt 1 tsp; Brown sugar 1 tbsp; Extra virgin olive oil ¾ tbsp; Peanut seed oil to taste

Vegetarian

Difficulty: Very easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Makes: 12 pieces
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

When having a quick dinner with friends, what better way to whet your guests’ appetites than to offer them these deliciously gooey mozzarella sticks? If you love fried mozzarella or mozzarella in carrozza (fried mozzarella) you won’t be able to resist these tasty, flavorsome mozzarella sticks, encased in a breadcrumb and cornflake batter to make them even crunchier. And that’s not all… we suggest serving them with a spicy, piquant, slightly tart sauce that goes perfectly with the mozzarella sticks, bite after bite.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for 12 sticks: Mozzarella cheese 8.5 oz (240 g) - (for pizza); Type 00 flour 1 cup (100 g); Eggs 3 - medium; Breadcrumbs ¾ cup (100 g); Corn flakes 3 oz (80 g); Fine salt 1 tsp

For the spicy sauce: Peeled tomatoes 12 oz (350 g); White onions 1; Whipping cream ½ cup (100 g); Garlic 2 cloves; Fresh chili pepper 2; Fine salt 1 tsp; Brown sugar 1 tbsp; Extra virgin olive oil ¾ tbsp (10 g)

For frying: Peanut seed oil to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Mozzarella sticks

To prepare your mozzarella sticks, start with the spicy sauce: Peel and chop the onion 1, then peel and chop the garlic and fresh chili pepper 2. Add to a saucepan in which you have just heated a little oil 3.

Add the sugar 4 and canned tomatoes 5. Season with salt 6.

Cover with a lid 7 and cook for about 15 minutes. Once it’s cooked for long enough, the sauce will thicken. Pour in the cream 8 and cook for a few moments, stirring from time to time. Then turn off the heat and blitz everything with an immersion blender 9.

Leave to cool 10. In the meantime, cut the mozzarella into rectangular sticks weighing 1 oz (20 g) each 11; you should end up with 12 with the quantities in the recipe. Prepare 3 small bowls: Place the flour in one bowl, the lightly beaten eggs in another, and the breadcrumbs and cornflakes 12 in the last one.

Lightly salt the eggs 13. Dip each stick in the flour 14, then coat completely in the egg 15.

Lastly, coat the sticks with the breadcrumb and cornflake mixture (16-17). Repeat these steps, dipping the mozzarella first into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs and cornflakes 18 to get a double coating.

Now you’re ready to fry in hot oil at 340°F (170°C) for a couple of minutes. Fry one or two sticks at a time so the oil temperature doesn’t go down too much 19. Once the sticks are golden brown, drain with a slotted spoon 20 and place on a sheet of absorbent paper to get rid of any excess oil. Serve the mozzarella sticks with the spicy sauce 21.