Deep Fryed Mozzarella Cubes

Pizzaola Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, crushed in press

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 pound Mozzarella cheese, cut in 36 1" cubes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

10 strands spaghetti, broken into 36 3-inch lengths

vegetable shortening or oil, for frying

To make the sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onionand cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cookuntil fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, oregano, basil, and redpepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer until slightly thickened,about 10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm. (The sauce can be prepared up to 1 dayahead, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.)

To make the cubes: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line one baking sheet with waxedpaper, and another baking sheet with paper towels. In a deep Dutch oven, melt vegetableshortening over high heat to a depth of 2 to 3 inches and heat it to 365 degrees F.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Beat the eggs in another shallow bowl. Place the breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl. One at a time, roll each mozzarella cube in the flour, dipin the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs. Set aside on the waxed paper.

Deep-fry the spaghetti until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Using a wire-mesh skimmer,transfer to the paper towels to drain and cool. In batches, without crowding, deep-fry themozzarella cubes until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using the skimmer, transfer to thepaper towels and keep warm in the oven while frying the rest.

To serve, spear each cube with a spaghetti stick. Serve immediately with a bowl of thewarm sauce for dipping.Makes 36 cubes. (4 to 6 appetizer servings)