Fried Mozzarella With Puttanesca Dipping Sauce Food

AIR-FRIED MOZZARELLA CHEESE BITES WITH SPICY MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk egg and water together in a shallow dish. Stir flour, salt, and Italian seasoning together in another shallow dish. Place bread crumbs in a third shallow dish.
• Dip cheese sticks into egg mixture, then coat with flour mixture. Dip again into egg mixture, then into bread crumbs until coated. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat an air fryer to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly coat the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
• Place frozen cheese bites in a single layer in the air fryer, working in batches if necessary, being careful not to crowd.
• Cook in the preheated air fryer until golden brown and cheese just begins to melt, 4 to 6 minutes. Repeat with remaining bites.
• Meanwhile, stir together marinara sauce and crushed red pepper.
• Serve mozzarella bites with marinara sauce.

FRIED MOZZARELLA BITES

Steps:

• Heat 2 inches olive oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Cut each pound of mozzarella and smoked mozzarella into 16 cubes. Set up a breading station: flour, 2 eggs beaten with 1/3 cup milk, Italian bread crumbs mixed with a couple of handfuls of grated cheese. Reserve the chopped parsley. Roll fresh plain mozzarella in flour, dip in egg, then coat in bread crumbs. Bread all the plain mozzarella, then add chopped parsley to the bread crumbs. Coat the cubed smoked mozzarella in flour, egg, then Italian bread crumbs mixed with parsley. The chopped parsley will allow you to distinguish between the fresh and fresh smoked cheese once fried. Place herbs into hot oil and fry 30 to 45 seconds. Be careful not to stand over pan, the oil will spatter a little because of the water content in herbs. Remove herbs with a slotted kitchen tool and transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Season immediately with fine salt. Fry the mozzarella bites in batches in a single layer. Cook until evenly deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and cool mozzarella bites on a paper towel-lined surface. Let stand and cool a few minutes so that the cheese will not be too runny when bitten into.
• For dipping sauce, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and crushed pepper flakes. Saute garlic and hot pepper 2 or 3 minutes, and add tomatoes. Season with salt.
• To assemble your serving plate, pile mozzarella bites, alternating them with fried herbs. Set the dipping sauce in a bowl along side the balls and pile bamboo skewers or party picks on the edge of the plate to spear and dip the bites.
• Add some mixed olives, celery sticks, long bread sticks to round out this finger food selection.

GARLIC AND HERB MOZZARELLA STICKS WITH MARINARA DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1 inch of oil in a deep pan to 330 degrees F.
• Place the flour in a shallow dish, season with salt and pepper then stir. Beat together the egg with salt and pepper in a second shallow dish. Place the finely crushed garlic and herb pita chips in a third shallow dish. Dip each cheese stick half in flour, shaking off the excess, then in the egg, then repeat the flour and egg. Lastly, dip each in the pita chips, pressing to coat. At this point, freeze for 15 minutes to firm the sticks before frying.
• Combine the marinara, cream and pesto in a small sauce pot. Stir and heat through.
• Fry the mozzarella sticks in the hot oil, turning, until golden brown on all sides, about 30 seconds. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

FRIED MOZZARELLA WITH PUTTANESCA DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat the mozzarella dry, making sure there is no water on the surface, and set aside.
• Place the flour in a shallow dish.
• Mix together the milk and eggs and place in a shallow bowl.
• Stir together the bread crumbs, Essence, and salt and place in a shallow dish.
• Heat vegetable oil about 1 1/2 inches deep, in a heavy saucepan or deep-fryer over medium-high heat to 325 to 330 degrees F.
• Dredge the mozzarella in the flour, shaking off any excess flour.
• Dip in the egg mixture and then the bread crumbs.
• Place mozzarella in hot oil and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Allow the mozzarella to stand for 3 to 5 minutes before serving, to allow the cheese to melt the entire way through.
• Serve warm on skewers or fondue forks with Puttanesca Dipping Sauce.
• To make the dipping sauce:.
• In a medium pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the onion and saute until soft and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and the remaining ingredients and simmer until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, about 20 minutes.
• Add salt to taste, cover and set aside.
• Serve sauce warm or at room temperature.
• Enjoy!
• Yield: about 3 cups To make the Essence:.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Yield: 2/3 cup.

MOZZARELLA STICKS WITH CHILLI TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls, seasoning each. Stir the dried oregano and garlic granules into the breadcrumbs.
• Coat the mozzarella sticks in the flour, dust off any excess, then dip into the beaten egg. Gently shake to remove the excess egg, then turn in the breadcrumbs until well-coated. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and arrange in a single layer, then freeze for 1 hr until completely solid.
• To make the dipping sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, and fry the chillies and garlic for 2-3 mins until fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and some seasoning. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 12-15 mins until thick and saucy. If you prefer a smooth sauce, blitz with a stick blender. Season to taste - you may need to add a little more sugar, vinegar or salt. Leave to cool. Will keep, covered in the fridge, for up to three days, or the freezer for up to three months.
• Fill a heavy-based saucepan no more than a third full of oil and heat to 180C, or until a cube of bread sizzles when dropped into the oil, and browns in about 30 seconds. Gently lower in the frozen mozzarella sticks - you'll need to do this in two batches to ensure the temperature remains high - and fry for 2-3 mins until the cheesy middle is melted and the outside is crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve straightaway, or leave to cool. Will keep, covered in the fridge, for up to three days, or the freezer for up to three months.
• To reheat, heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and bake on a tray for 8-10 mins until heated through. Season and serve with warm dipping sauce.

MINI MOZZARELLA STICKS WITH MARINARA DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Make room for the baking sheet in your freezer.
• Blitz the panko in a food processor until it has the texture of coarse sand. Make a dredging station by preparing 3 large resealable plastic bags. In the first bag, whisk together the eggs with 3 tablespoons water. In the second, combine the flour and 1 tablespoon salt. In the third, combine the panko and Parmesan, as well as the dried basil, dried oregano and/or dried parsley if using.
• Working in an assembly line, add the mozzarella to the egg mixture, tossing to coat. Allow any excess egg to drip off, then transfer the mozzarella to the flour mixture and shake to coat. Transfer the mozzarella back to the egg mixture, tossing to coat. Transfer the mozzarella to the panko mixture and shake to coat. Transfer the mozzarella back to the egg mixture and then the panko mixture one more time, then place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet with the mozzarella sticks in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes (see Cook's Note).
• Meanwhile, make the marinara sauce. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste and keep warm.
• When ready to fry the mini mozzarella sticks, add a 1/2 inch of neutral oil to a large skillet or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet or line with paper towels.
• Fry the mozzarella sticks in batches until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the wire rack and immediately season with salt.
• Pour the marinara sauce into a ramekin, then place the mozzarella sticks on a serving platter, top with some Parmesan and the chopped parsley and enjoy!