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Croquetas de Gambas (Prawn Croquettes)

Croquetas are ubiquitous in Spain, although they most likely originate from the French 'croquettes'. Their beauty lies in the bechamel base which is then mixed with your particular ingredient of choice to give it a characteristic flavor. The possibilities are almost endless - here we have used prawns. Makes about 36 units

3 1/2 oz butter
4 oz plain flour
1 1/4 pints cold milk
salt and pepper
14 oz cooked peeled prawns, diced
2 teaspoons tomato puree
5 or 6 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
olive oil for deep-frying

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the flour, stirring continuously. Allow the flour to cook in the butter for a couple of minutes, continuing to stir.

Start adding the cold milk little by little, stirring all the while until you have a thick, smooth sauce. Add the prawns, season well and stir in the tomato paste. Continue to cook for 7 or 8 minutes. The end result should be quite thick. Let the mixture cool completely - it is usually a good idea to leave it overnight.

Take a scant tablespoon of the mixture and form into a croqueta, a 1 1/2 - 2 inch cylinder. Roll the croqueta in the breadcrumbs, then coat in the beaten egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs again. Make sure the breadcrumbs are always dry to ensure an even coating.

Heat the oil for deep-frying in a large, heavy-based pan until the temperature reaches 350ºF or a cube of bread turns golden brown in 20-30 seconds. Fry in batches of no more than 3 or 4 for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slatted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately.

Pinchitos (Croquetas)

From: "IMANOL" <bilboima@jet.es> There are as many recipes for them as cooks. What gives them their flavour is what is added to the sauce. Anything that has already been cooked or fryed and cut in tiny bits can be added. Typical are: boiled or smoked ham, chicken, cod, boiled eggs, chorizo, sea food, ... You can also add Tabasco sauce or pepper if you want them more spicy, but that is not so common. Another variant, not so common: make them without any added ingredients, and use sugar instead of salt - a very tasty dessert!

To make the bechamel:
half a litre of milk
2 tbsp of white flour
25gr.of butter (I sometimes use olive oil)
250g flavouring (ham, etc)

The foolproof way of doing it is save ½ a cup of milk and dissolve the flour completely in it. The rest is heated with the oil and when it is boiling, pour in the milk with flour. It will soon start thickening. It should be thick enough to get solid when cooled but it isn't a gooSd idea to overdo it. You should be patient and let the sauce thicken by heating it an reducing not by adding more flour. Add your chosen flavouring and salt to taste. Pour onto a plate and let it cool.

To make the "croquetas" get a small portion of the Cooled Thickened White Sauce with a spoon or fork, put it in your palm and make a sort of ball not round but longer than wide, oblong, Size ranges from 2-3"long by 1" thick. Dip the "croquetas" in beaten egg and coat in breadcrumbs, fry in oil, and drain on paper napkins to absorb the excess of oil. Sometimes, the "croquetas" explode, take care! Serve hot or warm, but cold they are also good.

HAM CROQUETAS

Croquetas are one of the most popular dishes in Tapas Brindisa; we make around one hundred and fifty every day. I spent ages perfecting this recipe. Usually the roux is made with butter, but I use olive oil because I think it gives a better flavour.  In Spanish delis you can often buy cubed Ibérico ham (left over from carving the legs), which is ideal for this recipe – meat from close to the bone has the best flavour. If you cannot get hold of Ibérico ham, use Serrano ham instead, or indeed other cured hams such as speck or Parma ham. Croquetas are a bit of a fiddle to make, but they can be frozen and make great party food, so have a go. From 'Seasonal Spanish Food’ by José Pizarro. Makes 15 to 20 croquetas

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ small leek, diced as small as possible – 3mm pieces
70g Ibérico or other air-dried ham, diced very small
60g plain flour
75ml ham or vegetable stock
325ml whole milk
freshly grated nutmeg
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
75g plain flour
2 large eggs, beaten
75g breadcrumbs
oil, for frying
Heat the olive oil in a pan until it starts to shimmer, then add the leek and sauté until soft but not coloured. Stir in the ham, fry for another minute, then stir in the flour and fry over a medium heat until the mixture is golden but not burnt. This will take about 5 minutes. It is important that the flour is cooked properly otherwise the croquetas will taste of flour.

Combine the stock and milk in a small pan and heat until hot but not boiling. Season the liquid with a few scrapes of nutmeg. Gradually add the liquid to the roux, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring the mixture all the time.

Once you have incorporated all the milk, continue to cook the sauce for about 5 minutes until it thickens and leaves the sides of the pan when you stir it. At this stage, add a couple of turns of the pepper mill, taste the roux and adjust the salt if necessary – the ham can be very salty to start with. The sauce is now done: it’s got to be really thick because you don’t want the croquetas to turn into pancakes!

Smooth the sauce on to a baking tray (30cm x 20cm is fine) then cover with clingfilm to stop the mixture drying out. Leave it to cool before putting it in the fridge for an hour.

When you are ready for the next stage, line up three bowls: one with flour, the other with beaten egg, and the third with the breadcrumbs. Dust your hands with flour, take a ball and roll it between your palms. The size of the croquettes is up to you, but the easiest is a walnut-sized ball.

Next, dunk the croqueta into the flour – you want more of dusting than a coat – followed by the egg and then the breadcrumbs. Put the croquetas on a tray and when you’ve used up all the mixture, put them all back in the fridge for 30 minutes.

If you have a deep fat fryer, heat the oil to 175°C/325°F and fry the croquetas for a couple of minutes. If not, heat the oil in a frying pan until it starts to shimmer, then add 3 or 4 croquetas at a time and fry until they are golden all over. You don’t want them to cook too quickly otherwise the centre won’t be hot enough.