Something big took place this weekend. No, don’t worry, everything is calm in the United States – at least for the moment.
This weekend was the International Day of Spain’s most legendary tapa: croquettes.
And since it looks like we’ll be cooped up for some time and won’t be able to travel to the Mediterranean this summer either, why not bring it home to us? With this recipe you can enjoy the best of Spain – in the absence of sea and sun.
Ingredients (for 20-25 units)
- 200 g ham (must be cut into small cubes or procured)
- 1l whole milk
- 80 g flour
- 40 ml sunflower oil/olive oil
- Nutmeg
- Pepper
- Salt
- 100 g butter
- 3 eggs
- Breadcrumbs
Preparation:
The preparation time is about one hour: 30 minutes for the béchamel sauce + 30 minutes for shaping and frying. But you also have to add several hours for cooling.
1. Preparation of the béchamel sauce
Put the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. As soon as it is liquid, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour. Stir everything in quickly so that a homogeneous dough forms and no lumps of flour form.
Then put the pan back on the stove, add a little milk (half a glass) and continue to stir well. When the resulting liquid is homogeneous again, add the remaining milk and do not stop stirring. Remember to keep the fire low. A good TIP is to have the milk warm or at least at room temperature beforehand (never cold) so that it works in well and no lumps form.
Add a pinch of nutmeg, another pinch of salt (not too much; the ham already has a high salt content) and the ham cut into very small cubes.
To prevent lumps from forming and to keep the mixture thick, it must be stirred continuously over a low heat for approx. 20-30 minutes. The sauce is ready as soon as ridges form when stirring, clearly showing the bottom of the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat, pour the béchamel sauce into another container and leave to cool first at room temperature, then in the fridge – for at least 2 hours. The sauce must be covered at all times when cooling so that it does not crust over. It is best to prepare the béchamel sauce from one day to the next.
2. Breading the croquetas
Now you need to shape the croquettes with your hands. Traditionally, they are cylindrical, but it is easier to make them round. Then prepare a shallow bowl with flour, a deep bowl with the beaten eggs and finally a shallow bowl with the breadcrumbs. Dip each croquette in flour, then in egg and finally in breadcrumbs.
When you have finished, leave them to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour to bring them to room temperature. This prevents them from opening when frying.
Then pour plenty of oil into a saucepan or deep frying pan. Heat the oil on the stove (without it starting to smoke) and fry the croquettes for a few minutes. The hotter the oil, the less they absorb and the crispier they are. Make sure they are cooked on all sides.
Once they are fried, drain them and place them on a plate with kitchen paper to soak up the oil. And you can enjoy them just like on your favorite terrace in Spain.