Giada De Laurentiis Mozzarella Sticks

Submitted by Iron Woman

"I love fried mozzarella sticks. I saw this on Everyday Italian starring Giada De Laurentiis. It looked yummy! Let me know what you think."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 40mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups dry Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 1⁄3 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 (16 ounce) blocks pasteurized mozzarella cheese, cut into 4 by 1/2-inch sticks
• 4 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 1⁄2 cups vegetable oil

• Marinara Sauce

• 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 (32 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 dried bay leaves

directions

1. Stir the bread crumbs, 1 cup of Parmesan and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl to blend.
2. Dip the cheese in the eggs to coat completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl.
3. Coat the cheese in the bread crumb mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the cheese sticks on a baking sheet.
4. Repeat dipping the cheese sticks in the egg and bread crumb mixture to coat a second time.
5. Cover and freeze until frozen, about 2 hours and up to 2 days.
6. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
7. Working in batches, fry the cheese until golden brown, about 1 minute per side.
8. Transfer the fried cheese to plates. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve with the Marinara Sauce.

9. Marinara Sauce:

10. In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame.
11. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
12. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Sauté until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
13. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour.
14. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using).

Reviews

[MommaEllen]

I just used the mozzarella stick recipe, not the marinara sauce, just because my kids won't eat that. Anyways, the sticks were really good! I really liked the parmesan cheese added to the bread crumbs. We didn't use the salt and didn't seem to miss it. I also used mozzarella string cheese sticks to make things easier. We will be making this again! Thank you for posting!