March 1, 2022

Oven-Fried Cheese Sticks

The other day I needed a side dish for scrambled egg sandwiches (our chickens are laying again!) For sandwiches, I usually do soup, salad, or roasted veggies as a side, but happily, my thoughts turned to cheese. Halloumi is one of the cheeses I make and freeze during cheese making season (recipe here). It's a favorite, plus it not only freezes well, but it holds it's form pretty well under heat. That makes it a good choice for grilling, roasting, or frying.

Oven-Fried Cheese Sticks

Defrost and cut slabs of halloumi into sticks.
Coat lightly with EV olive oil, bread crumbs, and grated parmasan cheese.
Bake on an oiled baking sheet: 425°F (220°C) for 8-10 mins or until golden 
brown. Turn about midway through the baking time to brown evenly.

Recipe notes: 

  • Bread crumbs could be omitted and other seasonings could be used: onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, etc.
  • I'm not sure if oven frying would work for other kinds of cheeses, but it would certainly be worth a try. The challenge would be to keep it from melting. For deep fried cheese sticks, melty cheeses (like mozzarella and cheddar) are popped into the deep fryer while still frozen. 

I don't know why I hadn't thought to do this before. These didn't have the crusty coating of my fried halloumi, but they were easier and faster to make and just as good.

Oven-Fried Cheese Sticks © March 2022 

13 comments:

Mama Pea said...

Our daughter does much the same with "sticks" of Juusto cheese she buys. Yours look yummy!

Ed said...

I'm an odd one I admit. I will pretty much try anything at least once and have enjoyed most of everything I have eaten. However, one of the things I'll pass on or eat only to be polite is cheese. I like cheese in things but in it's raw form or as a main ingredient as in cheese sticks, it just doesn't appeal to me. I'll eat one to be polite or simply pass. I don't know why it is other than perhaps due to an allergy to milk I had as a child but outgrew by my teens. Fortunately my kids didn't inherit it and will often snack on mozzarella cheese sticks.

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, Juusto cheese? I'm not familiar with that one. But I love that other people have the same idea of good eating. :)

Ed, food preferences are extremely personal! It's actually quite interesting that tastes can differ so much. I've often wondered at the physiological mechanism behind that.

Renee Nefe said...

that looks very yummy. too bad that I am working and it is lunch time! lol

Ed said...

My oldest seems interested in pursuing a profession in psychology or neuroscience. If she does, and comes up with an answer, I'll report back to you.

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Leigh, cheese sticks have become a staple of my and Uisdean Ruadh's monthly dinners. Yours surely look better (and are undoubtedly better for us!).

Leigh said...

Renee, the same reason I try not to go shopping on an empty stomach!

Ed, actually, those would be a fascinating combination of study. I've seen some online video lectures by Dr. Tim Jennings out of Chattanooga, who is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. His lectures are extremely interesting because they present a solid scientific explanation of human behavior. I hope your daughter pursues that. And, yes, I'd be interested in an answer to that question!

TB, ah, you are folk after my own heart. :)

Chris said...

I'm my! I'm getting Halloumi vibes, and loving it!! Great way to use your goats cheese.

Lady Locust said...

Those look dangerously delicious! I've received my rennet and have a cheese recipe or two so will look at the one you linked. I'm going to give hard cheeses a go. Have only made farm cheese so we'll see what happens :-)

Retired Knitter said...

Oh these look REALY GOOD!

Leigh said...

Chris, halloumi is the second cheese I stock up on every summer. I love that it freezes well!

Lady Locust, how exciting! Cheesemaking is so much fun to experiment with. Have you checked out Rainy Day Cheese Making blog yet? She has a lot of tutorials.

RT, and it's so easy to make! Which is me in a nutshell. I always go for the simple recipes.

Nancy In Boise said...

Oh I wish I could do that much Dairy! Hubby and I became allergic late in life but at least we can eat eat sheep milk cheeses. And our eggs are coming through well also getting rat three or four a day which is more than we need for two people so I give them to our adult kiddos

Leigh said...

Nancy, I'm sorry to hear about your allergy, but there are a lot of good sheep cheeses? Nice to hear about your egg production. Spring is upon us!