Croquetas (Croquettes)

1 small brown onion, finely chopped
125g or 1 cup plain flour (all-purpose)
250ml or 1 cup milk
185ml or ¾ cup of chicken stock
115g or 4 oz of jamon (prosciutto) finely chopped
For the breading:
60g or ½ cup plain flour (all-purpose)
2 eggs , lightly beaten
50g or ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
Olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper

Serves 4 | Hands-On Time: 25m | Total Time: 45m

These little deep-fried snacks are delicious. They are a perfect symphony of crunchy outside and creamy inside.

Directions

Add some olive oil in a saucepan over low heat, add the onion, sprinkle with a little bit of salt and cook for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the flour and stir over low-medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture is dry and crumbly and begins to change colour.

Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk, stirring until smooth. Stir in the stock and return to the heat, stirring until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the jamon (prosciutto) and some black pepper, then transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool for about 2 hours.

Roll heaped tablespoons of the mixture into croquette shapes about 6 cm (2 ½ in.) long. Put the extra flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs in three separate shallow bowls. Toss the croquettes in the flour, dip in the eggs, allowing the excess to drain away, then roll in the breadcrumbs.

Fill a deep, heavy-based saucepan one-third full of oil. Heat the oil to 170C (325F), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil brown in 20 seconds. Add the croquettes in batches and deep-fry for 3 minutes, turning until brown.

Drain well on paper towel and serve hot!