Croquetas two ways with piquillo pepper sauce
How do you take your croquetas? Stick with classic jamón ibérico, or try a caramelised leek and rosemary Manchego version. Perfect posh finger food for friends.
Ingredients
For the jamón ibérico croquetas
- 180g/6oz Ibérico ham, finely diced (Serrano ham is a good alternative), plus extra to serve
- 150g/5½oz salted butter, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 450ml/16fl oz full-fat milk
- 450ml/16fl oz good brown chicken stock (use milk if you don’t have good stock)
- 140g/5oz plain flour, sifted, plus extra for coating/breading
- ½ tsp grated or ground nutmeg
- 5 free-range eggs, beaten
- 200g/7oz panko breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs
- light olive oil, for frying
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the leek croquetas
- 2 large leeks, washed and finely diced
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 3 large fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 75ml/2½fl oz extra virgin olive oil
- 75g/2½oz salted butter, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 140g/5oz plain flour, sifted, plus extra for coating/breading
- 900ml/1½ pint full-fat milk
- ½ tsp mild smoked paprika
- 150g/5½oz piquillo peppers, finely diced
- 250g/9oz black truffle Manchego
- 5 free-range eggs, beaten
- 200g panko breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs
- light olive oil, for frying
- spare Manchego, finely grated, to serve
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the piquillo sauce
- 500g tin or jar roasted piquillo peppers, drained
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 40ml/3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (preferably Arbequina)
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- sea salt
Method
For the jamón ibérico croquetas, place the diced ham in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Keep stirring for 2 minutes or so, until the fat renders.
Add the butter and bay leaf and continue stirring until the butter melts. After a few minutes, the aroma will be amazing.
Place the milk and chicken stock in a separate pan and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, make a roux by adding the flour to the ham pan in three or four batches, stirring in each amount before adding the next. The mixture will thicken, but keep stirring for 3–4 minutes to cook out the flour. The roux will become a light brown colour.
Start adding the hot milk/stock mixture to the roux a ladleful at a time, stirring as you go. You should end up with a smooth béchamel sauce, which should be gooey rather than firm. Add more milk if too thick. Add the nutmeg and season to taste if necessary. Spread the mixture out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover and chill overnight or for at least 3 hours.
Set out three shallow bowls/containers, adding the extra flour to one and the beaten egg and breadcrumbs to the others. Take about 35g/¼ oz of the chilled mixture and roll into your preferred shape (oval, oblong or round). Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Roll each piece first in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, coating them all over each time (it’s a good idea to save one hand for the breadcrumbing part of the process, so you don’t end up with two sticky hands). Once breaded, you can freeze some croquetas for another time, if you like.
Heat the oil to 180C in a deep-fat fryer. If using a saucepan, fill it one-third full with the oil and heat until a cube of bread browns in 40–45 seconds. Add a few croquetas at a time and fry for 2 minutes, until lightly golden all over. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the rest. CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.
Serve the croquetas with the hand carved ibérico ham to finish the dish.
For the caramelised leek croquetas, add the leeks, garlic, thyme and the extra virgin olive oil to a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and sweat for 20 minutes, stirring, until soft and caramelised. Add the butter and bay leaf, then cook until integrated.
Place the milk in a separate pan and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, make a roux by adding the flour to the leek pan in three or four batches, stirring in each amount before adding the next. The mixture will thicken, but keep stirring for 3–4 minutes to cook out the flour. The roux will become a light brown colour.
Start adding hot milk to the roux a ladleful at a time, stirring as you go. You should end up with a smooth béchamel sauce, which should be gooey rather than firm. Add more milk if too thick. Add the smoked paprika and diced piquillo peppers.
Add the cheese in a few batches, stirring all the time, to melt through the mix. Season to taste if necessary. Place the mixture in a baking tray lined with baking parchment, cover and chill overnight or for at least 3 hours.
Repeat steps 6 and 7 to shape and cook,
To make the piquillo pepper sauce, blend all the ingredients together into a smooth sauce. Serve the crispy croquetas with the pepper sauce.