Thursday, March 28, 2013

Mozz Balls - Fried or Baked?





I love fried mozzarella and thought I would do a little experiment.  I want a guilt-free version.


Solid coconut oil - preparing to melt it for frying.


Diced mozz ball, egg wash, and bread crumbs.


The half that went in the oven.


The half that will be fried...


... in the coconut oil.


Looking good... and it's coconut oil - healthy - no need to be afraid of the frying!


Looks delish!


Hmmm... the oven version flattened a bit.


The fried and the baked.


Dinner! Hamburger patty with sauteed mushrooms, snow peas, and the mozz balls with marinara. Yum.


Here's how it went:



Ingredients:
One ball of fresh mozzarella, diced
One egg, whisked
Seasoned bread crumbs
2/3 cup of coconut oil (about)

Dredge mozz cubes in egg and bread crumbs. Bake one half at 400 degrees for just under 10 minutes.  (checked at 8, they were still firm. checked at 10, they were melted flat)

Fry the other half in coconut oil.  Just takes two or three minutes.  I did not use enough oil to cover them (pricey), so had to turn them half way through.

I prefer the fried texture, but didn't care for the coconut oil flavor.  It was too sweet for what should be savory, in my opinion.

Both were delicious, but for perfection that suits my taste, I'll have to use a healthy, savory oil, such as tallow rendered from grass-fed beef!

When it's healthy fat... fry all you want!  It's good for you.


How do  you think you'd prefer your mozz balls?


UPDATE:  I just scored 6 pounds of free, grass-fed beef suet yesterday.  It's in the oven now, rendering into delicious, healthy tallow!  I'll post about that next week... and I'll be trying these mozz balls again, soon!

SECOND UPDATE: I have since made another batch and fried them in the tallow.  That's the winner! It was delicious!!  Dipped them in Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce and it was awesome!


Linking up with Tasty Traditions, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Our Simple Farm, Foodie Friday, Weekend Wonders, Fight back Friday, Farm Girl Friday, The Chicken Chick

6 comments:

Mom said...

Oooh-wheee!! Yum is right...looks great! I've been using just coconut oil in all my cooking now ... even with the pancake batter you sent to me. We love it!!

Pam O'Brien said...

That's awesome, Mom! It's so good for you.
You know how I am about mixing sweet with savory, though! Just doesn't jive in my world! haha I could try a refined coconut oil which doesn't have as strong a flavor... I might do that.

Adelina Priddis said...

Oh those look great! I think I'd prefer fried, maybe try some grapeseed oil. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday

Audra @ Renewed Projects said...

I love mozzarella balls! Great post!

Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick said...

Those mozzarella balls look mouth watering.........Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week; I hope you’ll join us again!


Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino

The Chicken Chick

http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

Lisa Lynn said...

These look super yummy! Thanks for sharing this on Wildcrafting Wednesday! Hope to see you again today!
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/04/wildcrafting-wednesday-14.html

If you have time, I'd love to have you join me on The HomeAcre Hop on Thursday too...we'll be announcing a new giveaway you're sure to appreciate!