Mozzarella sticks are elongated pieces of battered or breaded mozzarella cheese.
Mozzarella sticks may be served with tomato sauce, ketchup, or marinara sauce, as well as plum sauce, jalapeño jelly, barbecue sauce, honey mustard sauce, and ranch dressing. Cheeses other than mozzarella are also fried, including provolone, Edam, Cheddar, and American.
Mozzarella sticks with raspberry sauce are part of the regional cuisine of New York’s Capital District.
Ingredients
Italian style dried bread crumbs: 1 1/2 cups
parmesan cheese--grated: 1 1/3 cups
salt: 1 tsp
blocks of pasteurized mozzarella cheese--cut: 16 oz
eggs--beaten to blend: 4
vegetable oil: 1 1/2 cups
Marinara sauce: 4 cups
extra virgin olive oil: 4 cups
small onions--chopped: 2
garlic cloves--finely chopped: 2
stalks celery--finely chopped: 2
carrots--finely chopped: 2
Sea salt: 1/2 tsp
ground black pepper: 1/2 tsp
tomatoes--smashed: 32 oz
dried bay leaves: 2
How To Make Mozzarella Sticks
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Sauté until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)
Trivia
1. Mozzarella sticks date back to 1393 in Medieval France, when a recipe for fried cheese sticks appeared in Le Ménagier de Paris.
2. Your favorite Italian snack didn't even come from Italy.
The earliest iteration of the mozzarella stick is traditionally believed to date back to 15th-century France. Sacre bleu!