Breaded Mozzarella Sticks
Last Halloween I decided to give out individually-packaged string cheese instead of the traditional Twix or KitKat as treats for the tricksters passing by on ghoul’s night. But instead of an excited “woohoo, I got cheese” and a quick wave of thanks I expected, the goblin-masked and Ninja turtle-dressed little boogers wouldn’t budge from our doorstep, steadfastly standing there with hands still outstretched and a “that’s it?” look on their faces.
After a while of this, I eventually caved in and reluctantly parted ways with the Dove chocolates I was hiding for/from myself. The well-intentioned mozzarella cheese sticks ended up in the dim recess of the freezer, forgotten until yesterday when I gave them new life as homemade mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce for dipping.
You know what I absolutely crave when it is hot and muggy outside, and my house feels like a sauna? Deep fried food! Well, not typically, but Tuesday I was absolutely ravenous for some good ol’ deep fried Wisconsin cheese!
Cheese is to Wisconsin what corruption is to Illinois… we couldn’t function without it. It’s practically our state vitamin.
For convenience, I use string cheese you can find individually packaged in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores and usually cut them in half. You can also use fresh mozzarella and cut it up into 1/2-inch thick and 4-inch long if you prefer.
After dredging the cheese in flour, dip in eggs, and roll in breadcrumbs, I do another round of coating for maximum coverage.
Ingredients
Directions
After a while of this, I eventually caved in and reluctantly parted ways with the Dove chocolates I was hiding for/from myself. The well-intentioned mozzarella cheese sticks ended up in the dim recess of the freezer, forgotten until yesterday when I gave them new life as homemade mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce for dipping.
You know what I absolutely crave when it is hot and muggy outside, and my house feels like a sauna? Deep fried food! Well, not typically, but Tuesday I was absolutely ravenous for some good ol’ deep fried Wisconsin cheese!
Cheese is to Wisconsin what corruption is to Illinois… we couldn’t function without it. It’s practically our state vitamin.
For convenience, I use string cheese you can find individually packaged in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores and usually cut them in half. You can also use fresh mozzarella and cut it up into 1/2-inch thick and 4-inch long if you prefer.
After dredging the cheese in flour, dip in eggs, and roll in breadcrumbs, I do another round of coating for maximum coverage.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 quart oil for deep frying
- 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese sticks
Directions
- In a small bowl, mix the eggs and water.
- Mix the bread crumbs and garlic salt in a medium bowl. In a medium bowl, blend the flour and cornstarch.
- In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
- One at a time, coat each mozzarella stick in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs and finally into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.