Recipe: Provolone Fritto con Marinara

It's crispy, it's gooey, it's flavorful... truly, it's a fabulous dish!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon pesto
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 8-ounce package sliced smoked Provolone (10 slices)
• marinara sauce, heated
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

Place the flour into a flat bowl (i.e. a cereal bowl) and stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt along with the pepper.

Place the eggs into a flat bowl (i.e. a cereal bowl) and mix in the pesto with a fork.

Place the bread crumbs, the Italian seasoning and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt onto a plate; combine well.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. One by one, dredge the slices of Provolone first in the flour, then in the eggs. Place them into the bread crumb mixture and make sure they're well coated.

Place 3-4 breaded slices into the skillet and cook for 3 minutes until the edges are turning golden and the cheese starts to puff a bit. Flip the cheese over.

Cook for another 2-3 minutes until both sides of the cheese are golden and crisp.

Continue frying the cheese until all of the ingredients are used up. Place onto a serving platter, top with marinara sauce and Parmesan.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

This recipe was written by Mary Bilyeu and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on Dec. 21, 2011.