MATTY'S MOZZARELLA BALLS

Apart from the naughty but nice pizza, whats the next best thing about a hangover takeaway day. Its the sides of course. Whether it be chicken wings,dippers or garlic bread, it is a necessity that you order a little something to nibble on in between slices of pizza so that you can reach the status of "stuffed" with the greatest of ease. So whilst we are mastering the perfect homemade pizza night why not give my mozzarella balls a whirl. Dipped into one of your homemade dips, the oozing cheese will burst into your mouth as you bite through the Herby coating. Its a little taste sensation every time you pop one into your mouth.

Now I managed to locate little mozzarella pearls online. I've not really seen them in smaller shops so if you don't have time to go to a bigger store and struggle to find them you can slice a buffalo mozzarella into discs and it will work just as well. You just wont get as many little treats as you would buying the pearls.

If you are planning your pizza night in advance then these are an excellent little morsel to prepare in advance too. Once you have rolled the balls in the bread coating you can leave them in the fridge for several hours (overnight if you wish) and just take them out when your ready to fry and serve. Great too if you have had a heavy night and need tasty food with minimal effort. Remember kids - this recipe involves deep fat frying so make sure you ask a grown up to help you. Your oil need to be warm enough so that after around 1 minute of frying the coating has gone golden brown and the mozzarella just begins to ooze out. 

Test one ball first before you chuck them all in. If your balls go brown to quickly (approximately less than 30 seconds) your oil is too warm and you'll end up with a crispy outside but the cheese will be cold and still chewy and you want that nice melty pop when you bite into them so turn your oil down slightly and test again after a minute or so.

On the other end of the scale, if the balls don't go brown after 1 minute you need to turn your oil heat up otherwise the cheese will melt before you crisp up the coating and you'll just end up with a melted mess. Its a delicate balancing act but always test one ball at a time until your happy with the result. You don't want your hard work to go to waste and trust me once you've tried one you'll understand why!

Breaded Mozzarella Balls

Approximately 150g Breadcrumbs

1 Tsp Dried Rosemary

1 Tsp Garlic Salt

1 Tsp Onion Salt

1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper

Pinch Of Salt

4 Tbsp Plain Flour

1 Egg

50ml Semi Skimmed Milk

Approximately 15 Mozzarella Pearls

 

1. In one bowl mix together your breadcrumbs, rosemary, garlic and onion salt, cayenne and black pepper and a pinch of salt. In a second bowl, tip in your flour and in a third bowl whisk together the egg and milk. Prepare a little dipping station like in the picture to the right.
2. Drain your mozzarella pearls and then dip each one into the flour, then the egg/milk and then the breadcrumbs making sure that the cheese is well coated. After each ball make sure you dry your hands or you will end up with bits of everything all over your fingers instead of the balls.
3. Place your coated mozzarella in the fridge for at least an hour to make sure the coating doesn't disintegrate when fried later.
4. Heat up some vegetable oil either in a deep fat fryer or in a pan and test one of the balls as described in the introduction. Adjust the temperature accordingly if needed before frying the balls in batches of 5 maximum. Remove and place on greaseproof paper to remove any excess oil.

Serve immediately with some dipping sauce and get dunking. They do taste the best when they have come straight from the fryer but beware of the hot melting cheese if you eat them straight away, you don't want to burn your mouth off!

So with my dipping sauces, pizza and now my herby mozzarella balls you have all you need for the ultimate pizza night for a fraction of the cost and ten times the flavor.

You'll never need a takeaway menu again!