Think Outside the Wing - Part 2

Yesterday we did the delicious bocconcini balls, and today we need to learn how to make the sauce.

After all, what good is a mozzarella stick or a bocconcini ball without a delicious sauce to go along with it?

I just made my own simple marinara sauce to serve with the boccocini balls. You can use plum tomatoes if you can't find the crushed San Marzano tomatoes. We have a brand locally (although I have purchased it in Las Vegas as well) called San Marzano. Now, I have heard some people complain that these tomatoes are not really San Marzano tomatoes because they are grown here in the United States.

Technically, they are right, but this company never claimed to be selling San Marzano tomatoes, it is just their brand name...a little deceitful yes, but I have to tell you, I love these tomatoes. Their crushed tomatoes are deliciously chunky and are great for making sauces where they will be put on things that give off a lot of liquid, such as eggplant parmigiana, or lasagna. If you can get a can of these try them, they are very good.

If you can purchased real San Marzano tomatoes, go ahead and use them. If you can't find the crushed, you can use the plum tomatoes in their liquid. Just take the tomatoes between your fingers and crush them. You don not want to use a blender to puree the tomatoes for this sauce as you want a more chunky tomato. This is a rustic sauce.

Chunky Marinara Sauce for the Friend Bocconcini Balls:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 can (28 oz.) San Marzano crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil

In a medium saucepan over low to medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. As soon as the oil gets hot, quickly add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes quickly so the garlic does not burn. Add the basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Rinse the can of tomatoes with about ¼ of the can filled with water. Add the water to the sauce. Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes stirring frequently (make sure you scrape along the bottom of the saucepan, as crushed tomatoes can burn easily). Place in a serving bowl along side the bocconcini balls. The sauce can be done in advance and reheated.

Here is what you will need for the sauce:

As always prepare everything that you can in advance

Peel and crush the garlic and set aside


Open the can of tomatoes


Measure out the basil and set aside


In a medium saucepan over low to
medium heat, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil


just enough to cover the bottom of the pot


As soon as the oil gets hot,
quickly add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.


The garlic will begin to sizzle


Add the tomatoes quickly so the garlic does not burn.


Stir to incorporate the garlic and oil


Add the basil


salt


and pepper to taste


Rinse the can of tomatoes with about
¼ of the can filled with water


Add the water to the sauce


Let the sauce simmer for about
15 minutes stirring frequently
(make sure you scrape along the bottom
of the saucepan, as crushed tomatoes can burn easily)


Place in a serving bowl along side the bocconcini balls.


The sauce can be done in advance and reheated.

Think Outside the Wing -Part 1

With the Super Bowl rapidly approaching, I wanted to give you another each snack to prepare. Since we are thinking outside the wing again, this snack is very similar to the mozzarella sticks prepared in many restaurants, but smaller and easier to eat, and a lot less messy.

I saw the original recipe in the new Williams-Sonoma catalog, which they adapted from SPQR Restaurant in San Francisco. I of course, had to add my take to their recipe as well. I thought it needed to be kicked up just a notch, so I added a little heavy cream, some panko crumbs, a little grating cheese, I can never leave anything alone.

I made up a small batch just to be able to post it quickly, but I will give you the recipe for the larger version. Good thing I only made a small batch as I sat there and ate them all by myself, at this rate with the blog, I'll need gastric bypass surgery twice :( but they were sooooooo good!!!!!

I will post the recipe for the bocconcini balls today and the sauce early tomorrow morning.

If you are planning to shop today, you will just need a 28 ounce can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes (if you can't find crushed, plum will work too), dried basil, and olive oil, you should have everything else on hand.

Fried Bocconcini Balls

2 lb. mozzarella bocconcini (about 50 pieces)
4 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ cup heavy cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
1¾ cups plain bread crumbs
1¾ cups Panko crumbs
½ cup grating cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
A little grating cheese to sprinkle (optional)

Preheat an oven to 200°F. Remove the bocconcini from its liquid. Place the bocconcini on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet and let air dry or pat dry. 

Mix the milk and cream together and place in a small bowl. Add the eggs to the milk and cream mixture and whisk or beat until well blended. Set the mixture aside. Mix the bread crumbs with the grating cheese. Add in the Panko crumbs. Mix well. Place in a medium bowl. Put the flour in a medium bowl as well. Roll the bocconcini in the flour. The, dip the bocconcini in the egg mixture, and then put the bocconcini into the breadcrumb/Panko mixture; shaking off the excess in every step. Then, repeat the procedure again, take the bocconcini that you just breaded and dip it back in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumb/Panko mix again. 
Line the prepared bocconcini on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.

Fill a deep fryer with vegetable oil and deep fry the bocconcini balls for about 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined dish. Season with salt and pepper. Then place the bocconcini balls onto a wire rack that is sitting on a cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven while you are frying the rest of the bocconcini balls. Let the balls cool for at lease 7-8 minutes before you serve, and plese tell your guests to be careful when you bite into them because there is a little liquid that accumulates in the bocconcini balls when they fry that is very hot!

Place the bocconcini ball into a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle very lightly with a dusting of parmesan or other grating cheese if desired. Serve with the warm tomato sauce and a little bowl or shaker of grating cheese. Serves 8-10

Note: If you decide to cut the recipe in half, rather than try to cut the 1 3/4 cups of Panko or Breadcrumbs in half, I would choose one or the other and make it an even cup. For example if you cut the recipe in half, you need a total of two cups of the breadcrumb/Panko/grating cheese mixture, so either do 1 cup of breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Panko crumbs and 1/4 cup of grating cheese, or 1 cup of Panko crumbs, 3/4 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup grating cheese. It won't make any difference.

Here is what you will need for the recipe:

Preheat an oven to 200°F.



Remove the bocconcini from its liquid.
Place the bocconcini on a paper towel-lined
cookie sheet and let air dry or pat dry. 



Mix the cream


and milk together


and place in a small bowl.


Add the eggs


and whisk or beat


until well blended


Set the mixture aside.

Place the flour in a medium bowl


Mix the breadcrumbs


Add in the grating cheese


and the Panko crumbs



Place in a medium bowl and mix well


Roll the bocconcini in the flour



Then, dip the bocconcini in the egg mixture,


and then put the bocconcini into the


bread crumb/Panko mixture; shaking off
the excess in every step


Then, repeat the procedure again,
take the bocconcini that you just breaded
and dip it back in the flour,


the egg,


and the bread crumb/Panko mix again


This is what it will look like


Line the prepared bocconcini on a
cookie sheet lined with waxed paper
(I just used this paper plate because I
was just making a few for demonstration
and so I wouldn't eat a hundred and gain 50 pounds)


Place a sheet of paper toweling on a dish or platter


Fill a deep fryer with vegetable oil


Test the oil by dropping a piece
of bread crumb mix into it


and if it starts to sizzle it is time to add
the bocconcini balls to the oil


Use a slotted spoon to drop the bocconcini into the oil


and deep fry the bocconcini balls for


about 3-4 minutes until golden brown.


Remove with a slotted spoon


to a paper towel lined dish


Season with salt


and pepper


Then place the bocconcini balls onto a
wire rack that is sitting on a cookie sheet
and place in the preheated oven while you
are frying the rest of the bocconcini balls.

Let the balls cool for at least 7-8 minutes
before you serve them,

and please tell your guests to be careful
when they bite into them because there is a little liquid
that accumulates in the bocconcini balls
when they fry that is very hot!


Place the bocconcini balls into a serving bowl or platter
and sprinkle very lightly with a dusting of parmesan
or other grating cheese if desired.


Serve with the warm tomato sauce and
a little bowl or shaker of grating cheese on the side

Enjoy!!!

Go Eagles...oops, maybe next year!!!