Mozzarella Sticks

Oh, the joys of a summer head cold. I've been enjoying it since Saturday evening, so I didn't do much cooking yesterday or today (does Cup-A-Soup count?!) I did make some mozzarella sticks for our Canasta game on Saturday night. I've never made these before & was very happy with the way they turned out. The coating of breadcrumbs & cheese made the sticks lighter than the typical heavy batter used in restaurants.

You need to plan ahead for these. They need to freeze at least 2 hours before frying. You also don't want to use fresh mozzarella as it has to much moisture.

Mozzarella Sticks
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

1 1/2 cups Italian-style dried breadcrumbs
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
2 (16-ounce) blocks pasteurized mozzarella cut into 4 by 1/2-inch sticks
4 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups Marinara Sauce, recipe follows

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