Ham croquetas
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- + chilling
- makes about 30-35
Ingredients
- 150g serrano ham, chopped into small pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- 75g butter
- 75g plain flour
- 500ml whole milk
- 50g manchego, grated
- a grating nutmeg
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 100g dried breadcrumbs
- groundnut oil, for deep frying
Method
- STEP 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.
- STEP 2
Add the butter to the pan and, when it has melted, stir in the flour to make a thick paste.
- STEP 3
Gradually stir in the milk until you have a smooth sauce.
- STEP 4
Add back the bay leaf and ham and simmer over a low heat for 10-15 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted, then add a good grating of nutmeg and season really well.
- STEP 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.)
- STEP 6
Scoop out large teaspoonfuls of the mix and roll each into balls about 3cm across.
- STEP 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.
- STEP 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).
