Mac and cheese sticks

Name: Mac and cheese sticks
Ingredients: 300 g macaroni; 500 ml milk; 4 tablespoons flour; 120 g mozzarella; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 100 g flour for coating; 4 eggs; 150 g breadcrumbs; 750 ml oil for frying

Appetizers - Mac and cheese sticks by Paulica E. - Recipia

Mac and cheese sticks are served hot or cold, with a crisp breadcrumb coating. The macaroni is tossed in a creamy mozzarella sauce, then cut into sticks and fried until golden. I boil the macaroni just until it’s still slightly firm before mixing it with the sauce. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 24 minutes. Rest: 120 minutes. Total time: 169 minutes. Serves: 6. Approximately 580 kcal and 25 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

300 g macaroni
500 ml milk
4 tablespoons flour
120 g mozzarella
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
100 g flour for coating
4 eggs
150 g breadcrumbs
750 ml oil for frying

Preparation

1. Boil the macaroni for 9 minutes or according to the package instructions, until still slightly firm. Drain well. 2. Put 50 ml milk and 4 tablespoons flour in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir for 3 minutes, until it comes together into a smooth paste. 3. Gradually pour in the remaining 450 ml milk, whisking as you go. Boil for 4 minutes, until the sauce thickens, then season with salt and pepper and add the mozzarella. Stir until melted. 4. Stir in the drained macaroni. Spread the mixture in a baking tray lined with parchment paper, press it down lightly and leave it in the freezer for 2 hours. 5. Cut the mixture into sticks. Coat them one at a time in 100 g flour, 4 beaten eggs and 150 g breadcrumbs. 6. Heat 750 ml oil in a saucepan to 170°C. Fry the sticks in batches for 8 minutes in total, until golden, turning them so they brown on all sides. Transfer to paper towels. Let the remaining oil cool and strain it for reuse.

Notes

I serve them with tomato sauce; they’re like macaroni and cheese, only with a crisp coating and easy to eat by hand. I use pizza mozzarella, which is drier than the kind kept in whey, because the mixture cuts more cleanly once cooled. For a stronger flavor, you can replace the mozzarella with 120 g grated cheddar; the sticks contain gluten, dairy and eggs. If you double the quantity, divide the mixture between two trays so it doesn’t cool in a thick layer. Bread them ahead of time, but fry them close to serving so the coating is still crisp. The fried sticks keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, but the breadcrumbs soften.