Spanish tapas: croquetas de jamón y queso

Hola croquetas! French love Spanish tapas. It is the same principle than French appetizers, but many different flavors.

Ingredients

  • 35 g of butter
  • 40 g of flour
  • 250 ml of milk
  • 2 slices of dry ham
  • 40 g of shredded cheese
  • For the frying: 
  • 2 eggs
  • 100 g of breadcrumbs
  • 70 g of flour
  • Frying oil (canola is great)

Direction

Start with the batter for the croquettes.

  1. Cut dry ham into thin strips. Set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour, and stir for few min at low heat, without browning the preparation. 
  3. Very slowly, pour the milk on the mixture while mixing well. Keep stirring and cook at low heat until the sauce thickens.
  4. After 1à minutes, add the shredded cheese and the ham and stir. 
  5. Pour into a dish and let it cool. 
  6. Cooling down it will harden, and have the good texture to work with.

Shaping and frying your croquettas.

  1. Arrange the sauce on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll it into 1.5 cm-diameter tubes to obtain a regular shape. Remove the plastic wrap and cut the tubes into 2 cm sections.
  2. Pane the croquetas: first roll them into the flour, then into the beaten eggs, then into the breadcrumbs. 
  3. Deep fry them for 3 to 5 min, until it’s brown.
  4. Drain on paper towels.