Fried Mozzarella

Name: Fried Mozzarella
Ingredients: For the sauce:; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tsp. red pepper flakes; 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes, juice reserved; Salt and pepper, to taste; For the fried mozzarella:; 3-4 cups peanut oil, depending on type of pan you will be frying the cheese in; 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan; 2 lb. mozzarella bocconcini (about 50 pieces); 4 eggs; 1/2 cup milk; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 4 cups panko; Special equipment: Deep-frying thermometer

16 ingredients

1 steps

Ingredients

For the sauce:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes, juice reserved
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the fried mozzarella:
3-4 cups peanut oil, depending on type of pan you will be frying the cheese in
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 lb. mozzarella bocconcini (about 50 pieces)
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups panko
Special equipment: Deep-frying thermometer

Directions

1

{"0":"1. For the sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the 1\/2 cup olive oil.","2":"2. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is soft but not browned, about 1 minute.","4":"3. Add the tomatoes and their juices and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.","6":"4. Preheat an oven to 200\u00b0F.","8":"5. For the fried mozzarella: Drain the cheese from its liquid. Place the cheese on a paper towel-lined baking sheet and pat dry.","10":"6. If your cheese balls seem pretty big, halve or quarter them into bite-size pieces. Once they get the panko breading on them, they will be a lot bigger.","12":"7.In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.","14":"8. Put the egg mixture and bread crumbs in separate wide, shallow bowls. Combine the panko with the teaspoon of salt and Parmesan in another wide, shallow bowl. (*If you only have one shallow bowl, use it for the panko. It will help you immensely with the breading process.)","16":"9. Roll the cheese in the flour, dip into the egg mixture and coat with the bread crumbs, shaking off the excess after each step.","18":"10. Repeat the breading process one more time for each cheese piece.","20":"11. In a large, deep saute pan over medium-high heat, pour the oil to a depth of 3 inches and heat to 350\u00b0F on a deep-frying thermometer.","22":"12. Working in batches, fry the cheese until golden, about 45 seconds (or until golden brown-watch them carefully as oven temperatures may vary). If you notice that your thermometer's reading decreases, wait for a little while until the oil gets back up to the proper temperature.","24":"13. Transfer the fried cheese to a paper towel-lined plate"}