Fried Mozzarella Balls with Pumpkin, Sage and Caramelized Onion
This recipe makes 15-20 fried mozzarella balls. Plan for 2-3 per person. And the dip works for a vegetable platter too, so double or triple the dip recipe if you want to serve it with multiple munchie platters.
Mix together all ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Fried Mozzarella Balls
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium low heat.
Add onions, pinch of salt and sugar and cook stirring often until onions have caramelized, about 40 minutes. If the pan becomes dry, add a teaspoon of water or two.
Transfer onions to a bowl to cool.
If necessary, add more oil to the pan, turn up heat to medium and add the pumpkin.
Stirring often, cook the pumpkin until it softens, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the pumpkin to the onions and transfer to the fridge to cool.
Once the onions and pumpkin have cooled, add in the sage and mozzarella and mix thoroughly.
Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Crack eggs into a shallow bowl and beat well with a fork.
In another bowl, place bread crumbs and season with a pinch of salt and a little cracked black pepper.
Roll mozzarella mixture into quarter sized balls, dip in egg and coat with bread crumbs.
Repeat the breading with the egg and breadcrumbs to double coat mozzarella balls. At this point you can cover and refrigerate the mozzarella balls for a few hours if desired.
Heat oil to 360F in a heavy bottomed pan (a candy thermometer is handy here).
Fry 3-4 balls at a time until golden brown, about 90 seconds to two minutes.
Drain on a plate covered with paper towels and transfer to a warm oven until they're all fried.
Serve immediately with Yogurt Herb Dip
Notes
Most of the time spent making this recipe is caramelizing the onions. They can be made in advance and frozen if you're planning to prep these for a party.