Fried Cheese With Vegetable Relish

Everybody knows I am a cheese lover, and one of the best ways to prepare cheese is by frying it.  Breaded mozzarella sticks have become commonplace on chain-restaurant menus and in your grocery store's freezer section, but all too often they just aren't that great.  Packaged frozen cheese sticks are disappointing, and some restaurants even have the audacity to serve those instead of making them fresh.  The horror!  It's less expensive, almost as easy, and much more satisfying to make your own. 

Here I share a recipe for homemade cheese sticks served with a vegetable relish which takes the deliciousness to a level way past plain marinara (not that there's anything wrong with marinara).  This accompaniment isn't quite a sauce, and the word chutney didn't seem quite right, so I settled on the word 'relish.'  If you can think of a better word for it, let me know.  Whatever you call it, it's a yummy, savory, chunky vegetable topping for the cheese.  It opens the humble fried cheese, which is normally stuck in appetizer land, to the option of being a main-course side. 

It is key to serve the cheese immediately after frying so it is still crispy and gooey (there's a yummy dichotemy, eh?).  Prepare the relish and ready everything else so it can be cooked last minute, and as a failsafe you can keep them warm temporarily in a low oven if you have to.  There are a few options for the garlic: you can use fresh garlic, or instead roast it with the oil to mellow it and really infuse the oil with flavor.  You can also either chop, mince or paste it depending on the punch you want the garlic to have.

Fried Cheese with Vegetable Relish
Vegetable Relish
2 cloves garlic (*see above)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp sweet onion, minced
2 inches of zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
4 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 peeled whole tomatoes (canned or fresh), chopped
2 Tbsp liquid from the can of tomatoes (or juice from fresh)
crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, dried oregano

Fried Cheese 
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut to make 12 half-inch sticks
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup flour, divided
1/4 cup (dry) breadcrumbs
salt, pepper, dried parsley
veggie oil

In a small skillet, cook onion in the oil over medium-low heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes for two minutes.  Add zucchini and garlic and cook one more minute; add mushrooms and cook another minute; lastly add tomatoes and liquid.  Season with a pinch of dried oregano, salt and pepper, and simmer one minute.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the assembly line for the cheese sticks using three shallow bowls: one with 1/4 c of flour, and one with a gently beaten egg.  In the third bowl, mix 1/4 c flour, 1/4 c breadcrumbs, and a dash each of salt, pepper, and parsley.  Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Coat each mozzarella stick in flour, then egg, then breadcrumb mixture.  Fry sticks about 30 seconds or until golden brown, flipping halfway through with tongs.  Drain on paper towels.

Reheat vegetable relish if necessary.  Serve cheese sticks immediately, topped with a scoop of the veggies.
mmmmmmmgooeycheese.   Happy eating!