La pomme espagnole

Croquetas are quite possibly my favorite Spanish food. I know, churros con chocolate were pretty hard to beat, but just wait until you’ve heard about croquetas! Croquetas are actually quite a simple food. They consist of a thick, creamy béchamel sauce which is then breaded and deep fried. Inside the croqueta you can find just about anything: jamón, codfish, egg, chicken, cheese, shrimp, and the list goes on. They are often served in bars as tapas to accompany a drink, but I find the homemade kind much better.

Since my arrival in Spain, I have had a lot of croquetas. Actually, I’ve had more than a lot, I’ve had tons. I just LOVE them! I have searched far and wide (well, staying within Spain’s borders of course!) for my favorite croquetas, but I keep going back to the ones made by Andrés’ grandmother. Even though she obsesses and complains that her croquetas never come out “quite right,” they are always, always amazing. Never pasty and never too salty, they have just the right consistency that makes the béchamel sauce melt in your mouth when you bite into the crunchy exterior. Whatever their flavour, the abuela Marisa’s croquetas are heavenly.

La abuela Marisa

What’s her secret? I was dying to know! Andrés once attempted to make some for me, though somehow they ended up tasting more like hamburgers than croquetas. You should have seen his face when I dared to dip them in ketchup! Anyways, while the effort was nice, the result wasn’t great. So I decided to go straight to the source and spend a wonderful Saturday afternoon getting a private lesson in croquetas from abuela Marisa. It turns out they are super easy to make! We decided to make them with both Jamón and boletus edulis (aka porcini). The secret is in the thickness of the sauce before you let it cool off. It has to get to the point where it almost looks like a dough, completely coming off the sides of your pan. However if you let it thicken too much, your croquetas will turn out pasty, so be careful!

The secret is in the thickness of the sauce; It should end up looking something like this...

Below I have included the recipe as told to me by Marisa. However, like any good grandmother she never used any measuring tools and did it all by eye. Apparently the amount of flour or milk necessary depends on various factors such as the weather, your pan, your stove, as well as your own personal taste. I’ve included approximate measurements in the recipe to get you started, but don’t be discouraged if it doesnt turn out great the first time. Just keep trying with different amounts of milk and flour and eventually you will get a great tasting croqueta! Also, feel free to substitute the jamón and mushrooms for anything else your heart desires.

Attempting to shape the croquetas. My first few were way too lumpy.

If you don’t feel like experimenting in the kitchen, Madrid has quite a few places were you can find delicious croquetas. My suggestion? You absolutely have to try the codfish croquetas at downtown Casa Labra (they only serve one kind), but if you want more variety (such as chorizo, chicken, or even calamari), try the croquetas stand in Mercado San Miguel.

Croquetas de jamón Iberico y boletus edulis

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 litre of milk, lightly heated
4 big tablespoons of flour
100 g jamon iberico
1 tablespoon boletus edulis powder (porcini powder)
nutmeg
eggs, beaten
bread crumbs

In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the onion until golden. Remove pan from heat and add flour. Let it cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. Add the jamón and mix. Add the warm milk and stir. Return the pan to the medium heat and keep stirring. Add boletus edulis powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens to the point where it separates itself from the sides of the pan. Pour the sauce into a dish and let cool completely in the refrigerator. Once the sauce is completely cool and quite hard, you can begin shaping it into croquetas. As you are making the little cylinders, roll them into a plate filled with flour. Let them rest for approximately 15 minutes. Dip each croqueta into the beaten eggs, followed by the bread crumbs.**  Fry the croquetas 4-5 at a time in a large pan with very hot oil, until a deep golden brown. ¡Que aproveche!

** At this point, you can freeze the croquetas and fry them another day.