Crispy Mozzarella Sticks

I've been craving something deep fried and horrible for me. What I wanted was saganaki, but I lacked kefalotyri or kasseri cheeses so that was out of the question (Ooooh! I should do it next week... I need to hit up my resident cheesemonger!). I did however have a big block of mozzarella hanging around so I decided to make do with mozzarella sticks. Of course, as any one who has made them from scratch knows, all that breading is a pain.

So I was thinking about how to satisfy my fried cheese cravings with as little work as possible and I remembered a trip to Utah last year and a Brazilian steakhouse called Rodizio Grill. They had these little appetizers, bites of mozzarella fried in wonton skins. I thought they were a really clever take on the ordinary breaded mozzerella stick and all the more satisfying because they packed a great crunch.

They may not be very chic, but they're good. So I'm going to share these crunchy, easy to make mozzarella sticks. What I am not going to share is how many I managed to eat.

Not So Humble Crispy Mozzarella Sticks:
1 large block mozzarella
1 package egg roll wrappers
1-2 cups marinara (optional)
oil for frying

Cut the mozzarella into 1/2 thick sticks (length will depend on the size of your egg roll wrappers).

Place the mozzarella onto a wonton wrapper and add two tablespoons marinara (if using) and fold in the sides and then roll up. Secure with a dab of water to hold the wrapper closed. Repeat with the remaining cheese.

In a frying pan, heat a half inch of oil over medium/medium-high heat.

Fry the sticks for roughly a minute on each side until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.