The first-ever homemade Spanish recipe I ever tasted was Serrano Ham Croquetas (croquettes) - I managed to discover these little delights from a school friend who happened to be half Spanish and his mother would make them from time to time and give him a Tupperware full of them to take to school. Naturally, we were best friends! Since them, I must have tried dozens and dozens of different recipes, textures and ingredients but for some reason, I always come back to the original - Spanish cured ham. Traditionally it would be made with serrano ham but I must admit I now prefer to use Iberian acorn ham, which is not as salty and really full of flavour. When I say "traditionally" I am referring to the typical Spanish recipe, but Croquetas aren't, in fact, Spanish by origin, but French. The modern-day recipe was developed by Antonin Careme who introduced this food to the Nobles' tables towards around the mid 18th century. The name originates from the French word "croquer" which means 'to crunch'.
As far as difficulty is concerned, it is a fairly simple recipe so I thought I would share it with you. These are the ingredients you will need for about 30 bite-sized balls or 15 normal sized croquettes.
Iberian acorn ham or Serrano ham - 150g, chopped into very small pieces
Bay leaf 1
Spring onion 2 - finely chopped
Butter (not margarine) 75g
Plain flour 75g
Whole milk 500ml
Manchego cheese 50g, grated (optional)
Nutmeg 1 grating or a small sprinkle if already ground
Eggs 2, beaten
Panko breadcrumbs or normal breadcrumbs 100g - I prefer Panko
Extra virgin olive oil for deep frying
Instructions:
1. Heat a non-stick pan and fry the ham and bay leaf gently until any fat has melted off the ham, then scoop it out leaving the fat behind.
2. Add the butter to the pan and, when it has melted, stir in the flour to make a thick paste.
3. Gradually stir in the milk until you have a smooth sauce.
4. Add back the bay leaf, spring onion and ham and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted, then add a good grating of nutmeg and season really well.
5. Scoop into a tray or dish, cool, then chill completely in the fridge. (This can take 2-3 hours, or you could do it the day before.)
6. Scoop out large teaspoonfuls of the mix and roll each into balls about 3cm across.
7. Put the beaten egg on one plate and breadcrumbs on another. Roll the balls in the egg then the crumbs. Repeat so you have a double layer of egg and breadcrumbs. This gives an extra crunch to the croquettes!
8. Fill a pan no more than ⅓ full with oil and heat to 180C (or until a cube of bread browns in around 30 seconds), then deep fry the balls in batches for 2-3 minutes until crisp and golden. Scoop out and drain on kitchen paper (you can keep cooked croquetas warm in a very low oven).
Enjoy!