Mozzarella in carrozza

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
6 slices Home style white bread,
About 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 -inches
Square
6 Bread size slices fresh
Mozzarella, cut 1/4-inch
Thick*
1 cup All purpose flour
1 Recipe Seasoned Egg batter,
Recipe follows
2 cups Bread Crumbs, recipe
Follows
Approximately 3 cups home
Made or store bought
Marinara sauce
Approximately 6 cups
Vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Chopped Italian parsley

Directions

* Since fresh mozzarella is often sold in small ball shapes, you may need twelve ¼-inch thick slices that you can then cut into triangles to fit bread.

Preheat broiler.

Trim crusts from bread. Put mozzarella slices on top of bread and trim to fit. Then cut bread and cheese on the diagonal into 2 triangles of equal size. Dredge both sides of each piece of bread and cheese in flour. Shake off excess. Stack one piece of mozzarella onto each piece of bread. Set aside. Put Seasoned Egg Batter in a shallow bowl and Bread Crumbs into a second shallow bowl. Dip each set of bread and cheese into the Seasoned Egg Batter, then into Bread Crumbs, pressing lightly to coat well. Set aside, in a single layer, on a plate until ready to fry.

Warm marinara sauce in a small, nonreactive saucepan on very low heat. Heat oil in a deep fat fryer to 350 degrees, or ½-inch vegetable oil in a heavy saute pan over high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry mozzarella and bread two at a time from approximately 1 minute or until golden. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel. Put on a cookie sheet.

When all pieces are fried and drained, broil on cookie sheet for 1 minute. This will draw out excess oil and add extra crispness.

Spoon ½ cup of warm marinara sauce onto each of 6 warm plates. Put 2 mozzarella triangles in the center. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

COOKING LIVE SHOW #CL9141

Recipes courtesy of Frank Pelligrino, " Rao's Cookbook"

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