Appetizers
4 Tbs Butter
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 ea Onion, medium, finely chopped
1 cup Flour
1-1/4 quart Whole milk
1 pinch Nutmeg
1/2 lb Serrano or iberico ham, diced into small pieces
2 ea Eggs, beaten
Bread crumbs
Olive oil for frying
Adapted from spanishsabores.com by BBF, July, 2017.
Saute the onions in the butter and olive oil until they just begin to turn brown.
Add a pinch of salt and the nutmeg (not too much salt because the ham is already quite salty).
Add the diced ham and saute for 30 seconds more.
Add the flour and stir continuously (don't stop stirring or the flour will burn!) until the flour turns a light brown color.
When the flour changes color, add the milk little by little, always stirring, until you've added it all; it should take about 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the dough cool a bit.
Butter the sides of a large bowl, place the cooled dough in it, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
When chilled, form the dough into little oblong shapes about 2 to 2-1/2 inches long and an inch in diameter.
Pour olive oil into a frying pan to a depth of 3/8" and heat.
Coat the uncooked croquettes in bread crumbs. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the uncooked croquettes. Flip them over when the underside is golden brown and complete frying until both sides are golden brown.
Serve hot.