Creamy bechemel, breaded and deep fried. It does not get much better than that...oh yeah, it does, when eaten with a nice glass of white or sparkling wine.
I love bechemel. Im all about that creamy texture thing: ice cream, custard, bechemel... And although I usually stay away form deep fried food, there is something irresistible about that crispy/creamy contrast.
I did not grow up with Kraft macaroni and cheese. (I must admit, my mom would regularly buy packaged Lipton creamy fettucini that my sister and I would scarf down as an after school snack, followed by a Little Debbie's Nutty Bars®.) The memory I have of "mac and cheese" is my mom's penne with bechemel, baked in the oven until brown and crispy on top. Unfortunately, it was also her way of getting rid of leftover ham. A bite of cheesy, creamy noodles would be interrupted by a salty piece of chewy ham. Life could be worse I suppose, I just picked it out.
I first heard of croquetas when my mother talked about an early food memory of having her mother's croquetas; particularly one that involved a lamb chop coated in bechemel, bread crumbs and fried. Two of my favorite things together, coated with crispiness! Sounds good, but also like a heart attack waiting to happen. Surprisingly, despite speaking fondly of these croqueta memories, she never made one. It wasnt until I went to Spain in 2006 that I actually had one. That kind with lamb continues to elude me.
They can be horrible, pastey, gooey messes. But when made well, they are delightful! Usually, they have jamon in them, which I do not mind like I did the ham in my baked penne, because the jamon doesnt disrupt the texture. There is a vegetarian version made with 'roquefort', which in Spain is the generic name for blue cheese. My last night in Madrid I had really good ones with ground morcilla sausage mixed into the bechemel. Talk about cholesterol!
Anyway, when I came back, croquetas were the food that I missed the most. So, naturally, I made them. The first recipe I found, is actually a keeper! I got lucky. I am also lucky that I brought back this really good chorizo salami from a recommended store in Madrid. I love the smoked paprika (pimentón) flavor that comes from using this chorizo in the croquetas.
The recipe is adapted from a recipe by lisa and tony sierra.
Olive oil is used for almost everything in Spain. Where butter or vegetable oil would be used by other cultures, in Spain, its olive oil. Not sure why that is. Here, olive oil is used for deep frying and to make the bechemel (butter is the 'traditional' ingredient). Olive oil has a lower boiling point, so it burns and breaks down at higher temperatures, so I would rather use a light vegetable oil, like grapeseed or something. The bechemel can be made with butter of course instead of the olive oil, but I dont know what the proportions would be and it doesnt make much of a difference in taste I dont think.
- 8 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup (107 gr) flour
- 1/2 cup (100ml) chicken broth, warm
- 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) milk, warm
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- dash of ground pepper
- 1/2 cup finely minced prosciutto or jamon serrano or chorizo
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons water
- bread crumbs for coating
- vegetable oil for frying
Heat the 8 Tbsp olive oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly until the flour is incorporated and cooked, but not brown.
Gradually add the warmed milk and the chicken broth, stirring with a whisk without stopping.
Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and smooth.You may need to add more liquid (2-4 Tbsp) if it looks too stiff. It should not be quite as thick as mashed potatoes, but not loose like a sauce. It will get harder when chilled.
Add the minced ham and continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes on low heat, continuing to stir. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Spread out on a dish or another flat surface and refrigerate until it is cold.
When ready, use two spoons to make cylindrical 'logs' with the bechemel. Coat the 'logs' with the egg/water by dipping them in a bowl of the egg/water mixture. I found using a fork is easiest. Then coat them with bread crumbs. I put them in a bowl of breadcrumbs and roll them around with another fork to coat them.
(Once coated with breadcrumbs, they can be frozen on a tray, in a sealed bag if doing this ahead. If using them frozen, you would want to defrost them a bit before frying them. Defrost just enough that they are still holding their shape and chilled, but no longer frozen.)
To fry: Heat enough vegetable oil in a medium frying pan --just high enough to barely cover the croquetas.
Heat the olive oil for frying to about 355F degrees. Now, I dont have a thermometer, so i heat over medium heat and use a crumb to test it. If the bubbles from and it crackles right away, but does not burn or smoke the crumb, then its ready. Try with one croqueta first, to test the temperature. It should bubble and turn brown quickly. Turn it once or so until brown. Cooking time is maybe a minute or two. Dont cook too many at once, you want them to have enough room to move around and get brown. Definitely do not overlap them in the pan.
Once brown and ready, take them out and drain on a cooling rack on a paper towel. Serve immediately.
The oil can be saved (once cooled) in the refrigerator until the next time you fry. Do not throw down the drain, instead put in a container and in the garbage (or compost).
Enjoy!
