Ricotta Cheese Balls

Another post!

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so soon!

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Surprised, eh?

Well, I want to get rid of the drafts that have been piling up.

And thanks to a relaxing weekend, I have been able to get some of the pending posts done with and published. Still, there is a long way to go!

Today I am posting about these ricotta cheese ball recipe I stumbled on a while ago here.

The first time I made these were when our friends from phoenix came over for the weekend. They were a hit! Everyone loved them. I could not post about them then since I was not able to take any pictures that time.

For some time I had a tub of ricotta cheese lying in my fridge, so thought would use it up to make these ricotta cheese balls again. This time I was able to take pictures :)!

These cheese balls bring back memories of my childhood. My dad is in the air force and so we always stayed at the air force base where his squadron was stationed. I remember the mess (not the dirty kinds but this kind) on mostly all air force bases would have these deep fried cheesy appetizers that we called cheese balls. I used to love them and on days, when I felt like having some deep fried goodness, would beg my mom or dad to order them from the mess. And if they were served at a get together in the mess, I would devour them each time the waiter would come to serve us kids- picking two-three at a time like a greedy pig.

Of course, the cooks at the mess did not use ricotta (we do not get it in India- I think they used Indian cottage cheese- though that’s just a guess), but this recipe comes quite close to what I had in my childhood. If you are not trying to lose weight, unlike me who is always trying to, do up the cheddar cheese amount called for in the recipe. Won’t say the same about your hips, but I’m sure your taste buds will not regret it!

RICOTTA CHEESE BALLS

A tip that I learnt while watching Masterchef USA (Gordon Ramsay, when not yelling gives great advice)- one that you should keep in mind whenever frying stuff, especially if you are doing so for a large gathering – Always, always test fry one piece. Shape one cheese ball, fry and taste- if any seasoning adjustment is required you will be able to make out and can make the required changes in the batter. If you skip this step and in case you have erred in seasoning or something else, you will have bland or too salty food for your guests or yourselves.

Recipe adapted from here

Makes 12 balls

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs (the recipe calls for normal bread crumbs, but I like using panko as it gives an added crispiness to the cheese balls)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp dried herbs ( whatever you like, optional)
• salt and pepper to taste (while seasoning keep in mind cheddar is salty as well)

Directions

1. Whip egg whites until stiff. So stiff it won’t drop out of the bowl when you turn it upside down.
2. Mix both cheeses together, together with the herbs and salt and pepper.
3. Fold in the whipped egg whites.
4. Add in the flour and mix all together.
5. Make cheese balls by using two tablespoons, and rolling them around in the bread crumbs.
6. Heat up enough oil to deep fry the balls. I find if a wooden chopstick bubbles slightly when dipped into the oil means that the oil is hot enough.
7. Fry until golden brown. Serve hot with ketchup or a dip of your choice.