Fried Mozzarella Pockets Food

FRIED MOZZARELLA STICKS

Steps:

• Cut the mozzarella into approximately 2-1/2-by-1/2-inch sticks (you should have about 16 sticks, depending on the shape of your mozzarella).
• Put the flour in a small bowl. Beat the milk with the eggs in another bowl. Stir together the breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a third wide, shallow bowl.
• Working one at a time, coat a mozzarella stick in flour and shake off the excess. Dip the stick in egg, letting the excess drip off, then add it to the breadcrumbs and roll it to coat. Dip the stick in the egg one more time, again letting the excess drip off, and roll it in a final coat of breadcrumbs. You can pat the mozzarella stick gently between your hands to smooth out the coating. Transfer the coated mozzarella stick to a platter. Repeat with the remaining mozzarella sticks. Refrigerate the mozzarella sticks until cold, about 15 minutes.
• Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F. Have a large brown paper bag ready for the fried sticks (they will stick to paper towels). Add half of the mozzarella sticks and fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute total. Transfer to the paper bag to drain. Return the oil to 350 degrees F (this is important, as the cheese will seep out if it is not hot enough) and fry the remaining mozzarella sticks.
• Serve hot with Homemade Pizza Sauce on the side.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oregano, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, with the saucepan loosely covered in foil to avoid splattering and stirring occasionally, until fairly thick, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your tomatoes. Remove the basil.

FOCACCIA POCKETS

Steps:

• Stir the yeast and sugar into 1 3/4 cups warm water (about 100 degrees F) in the measuring cup or a small bowl. Let sit until foamy, about 3 minutes.
• Combine the flour and kosher salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the yeast mixture and 1/4 cup of the olive oil and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough, adding more flour or water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed, until the dough forms a loose ball that just pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on high speed until the dough is smooth and elastic but still a bit looser than traditional bread dough, about 5 minutes.
• Coat a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the dough and turn to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Coat a rimmed baking sheet with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer the dough to the middle of the baking sheet. Gently stretch the dough all the way to edges of the baking sheet. If the dough springs back, let it rest for a few minutes and continue stretching. (Don't rush it; this process could take up to 10 to 15 minutes.)
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Use a pizza wheel to cut the dough lengthwise in half through the center, then make crosswise cuts to get 8 rectangles. Divide the pepperoni among the rectangles, placing it on the lower half of each rectangle and leaving a border around the edges. Dollop the ricotta on top of the pepperoni and spread with the back of a spoon, again leaving a border around the edges. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and pecorino, leaving the border free.
• Fold the top of each dough rectangle over the filling and press the edges to seal. Use a large spatula to help transfer the pockets to the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each pocket slightly with the palm of your hand. Trim the edges with a pizza wheel, if desired. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap from the pockets and use the tips of your fingers to gently dimple the dough all over. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with additional pecorino, the rosemary needles and flaky salt. Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the pockets are golden brown on the tops and bottoms, about 20 minutes. Serve warm with marinara sauce.

FRIED MOZZARELLA STICKS WITH CREAMY MARINARA

Steps:

• Pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven or pot to come about 1 1/2 inches up the sides and fit the pot with a deep-fry thermometer. Bring the oil to 375 degrees F over medium-high heat.
• Meanwhile, mix the marinara, creme fraiche and red pepper flakes in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute until warm. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
• Place a wire rack inside of a baking sheet. Set up a standard breading station with 3 wide, deep plates (or pie plates). Place the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in one plate. Mix the panko, plain breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper into the second plate. Whisk the eggs into the third plate.
• Take each mozzarella stick through the breading procedure: first in the flour, then the egg and then the panko mixture, then repeat in the egg and panko mixture again for a double breading. Transfer to the wire rack.
• Working in batches, carefully drop 4 to 5 sticks into the oil and fry without touching until they are a deep golden brown and you can see some cheese starting to melt, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Serve immediately with the sauce on the side.

FRIED MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Remove the egg roll wrappers from the package and cover them with a damp paper towel. This will keep the wrappers from drying out. Have a small glass of water ready for sealing the wrappers.
• Place one egg roll wrapper on a cutting board. With damp fingers, moisten the outer edges of the wrapper. Place a piece of string cheese diagonally on one corner of the wrapper. Roll the cheese inside the wrapper to the halfway point and then fold the edges over the ends of cheese. Continue rolling, making sure the last corner seals. Place on a sheet pan, cover with a damp paper towel and repeat with the remaining cheese sticks.
• Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• While the oil is heating, warm the marinara in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through. Place in a small serving bowl.
• Fry the egg rolls until golden and crisp, about 1 1/2 minutes, turning regularly. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
• Serve alongside the marinara.

FRIED MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place flour in a bowl. In another bowl, beat eggs. In a third bowl, combine panko with thyme. Season each with salt and pepper. Working with 2 bocconcini at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess, coat in egg, and roll in breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
• In a small saucepan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high until pinch of breadcrumbs sizzles and floats to the top when added. Fry bocconcini, 4 at a time, until golden brown, turning occasionally, 2 minutes per batch. With a slotted spoon, transfer balls to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Keep warm in oven and repeat with remaining bocconcini. Serve with tomato sauce for dipping.

FRIED MOZZARELLA BALLS

Steps:

• Heat about 11/2 inches oil to 360°F in a 3 1/2-to 4-quart heavy saucepan.
• Meanwhile, double-coat bocconcini by dipping in eggs, then in bread crumbs, and repeating. Transfer to a sheet of wax paper.
• Working in batches of 10, lower balls into oil with a slotted spoon and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. (Return oil to 360°F between batches.)

FRIED MOZZARELLA POCKETS

Steps:

• Cut the mozzarella into 12 chunks; place each chunk on one half of a bread slice and fold the other half over the top.
• (Add any other filling ingredients with the cheese, if desired.) Press edges together to seal.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
• Spread the breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl.
• Dip the cheese pockets into the egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back in the bowl.
• Dredge in the breadcrumbs, tuning to coat evenly and completely.
• In a large, heavy frying pan, heat both oils over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
• Working in batches, fry the pockets, turning once, until deep golden brown--about 4 minutes each side.
• Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with sage.
• Serve hot with marinara sauce in dipping cups.

FRIED MOZZARELLA CHEESE STICKS

Steps:

• 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.

PAN-FRIED MOZZARELLA PARCELS

Steps:

• Cut the mozzarella into thirds and wrap each piece in a slice of speck or prosciutto. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan until very hot. Season the mozzarella and fry for a few minutes on each side until the speck or prosciutto is brown and crisp and the mozzarella is starting to ooze. Tip from James: the tip is to cook the mozzarella quickly so it doesn't toughen.
• While the mozzarella is cooking, arrange small piles of lettuce on four plates. Peel, stone and slice the avocados, adding a few slices to each plate. Remove the mozzarella parcels from the pan and put 3 on each plate.
• Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan and stir to combine with the cooking juices. Drizzle the warm dressing over the leaves and parcels. Serve with plum chutney and slices of ciabatta or focaccia.

FRIED MOZZARELLA STICKS

Steps:

• Cut the cheese into 8 3 1/2/x 1/2x1/2" sticks.
• Put flour into shallow dish and dredge the mozzarella sticks lightly in flour, shaking off the excess.
• One by one, dip in the beaten egg, coating completely, and then roll in bread crumbs to coat.
• Put the sticks on a plate and freeze for 15 minutes.
• Heat a deep fryer or heavy pot to 365 in 3 inches of oil.
• Fry the mozzarella sticks in 2 batches until golden brown, about 1 minute.
• Drain on paper towels and serve with hot marinara sauce.