Lunch (or Dinner) with a Crunch

LUNCH (or Dinner) WITH A CRUNCH

Croquettes are the perfect homemade food savers

By Francine Spiering | Photos by Raymond Franssen

 

 

The French word croquer translates as to crunch, and that is the sensation when you bite through a properly breaded and fried croquette. The recipe is said to have originated in 17th-century France when a cook employed by King Louis XIV shaped compressed meat like an egg, floured it, fried it in lard, and jotted the technique down for posterity.

In Dutch culture, croquettes are a staple snack, developed in the early 19th century to preserve leftover cooked meat by encasing it in a breaded crust. Today it is the shape that determines what they are called: smaller round croquettes are bitterballen and larger cylindrical ones are kroketten. The latter are also eaten as part of a meal, whereas bitterballen—the word bitter here refers to an alcoholic beverage—are always just a snack. Both are traditionally made with meat, but in a growing concern for sustainable eating, chefs are now creating plant-based croquettes with various vegetables but also mushrooms and even jackfruit.

In Spain, croquetas caseras appear on menus everywhere. With an oozingly soft interior, these little deep-fried bombs of flavor come with a variety of fillings. They can be savory with ham, melty with cheese, spicy-red with chorizo, or green-hued with garlicky spinach. Shapes are oviform or round. Some look like kids have played around with them before they went into the hot oil, but then, the word caseras does mean homemade, after all.

A big part of sustainable eating is not wasting food you already have. And homemade croquettes are a great vehicle to stretch a meal and reuse leftovers. I make them with béchamel when I have plenty of milk in the fridge, or I do a stock (velouté) version when I have a leftover chicken carcass or have heads and bones or shells from a whole fish or shrimp meal. Your fridge can be a treasure trove of croquette fillings, from opened jars of olives and sun-dried tomatoes to herbs, celery ribs, cold cuts, and cheese. Put croquettes on your weekly meal repertoire, and you’ll find that those bits and bobs left over from family dinners will be tastily enjoyed again. Save that meat, chop the leftover vegetables, keep the sauce. Let all that deliciousness make a breaded and fried comeback as your very own croquetas caseras!

Editor’s note: Need more reasons to rescue leftovers? Read our accompanying story, ‘Why Worry About Wasted Food?” by StopWaste.

 

Caramelized Onion & Porcini Croquettes

These plant-based croquettes start with a plant-based béchamel and make use of an abundance of onions. Make them large and serve them for dinner along with sautéed greens, roasted potatoes, and mustard. Start a day before you plan to serve them to give the filling time to chill.

Makes 10–15 depending on size

  • 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups thinly sliced yellow or white onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon (fresh) thyme
  • ½ cup vegan butter
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 cups cold non-dairy milk, or as needed
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Rehydrate the porcini in 1 cup hot water for 15 minutes. Strain off the soaking water to remove grit and set water aside for use later in this recipe. Chop porcini into pea-sized bits and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add sliced onion and cook over low heat, stirring regularly. Add porcini soaking water a few tablespoons at a time, letting it cook out before adding more. After about 20 minutes, add the garlic, thyme, and chopped porcini. Continue cooking on low heat until onions are completely soft and caramelized (30 minutes to an hour). Season well with salt, and transfer to a bowl.

To make the béchamel, start by heating a large saucepan over high heat. Melt the butter and when foaming, mix in flour and cook for 3–4 minutes. Add 1 cup milk and stir until no lumps remain (mixture will be thick). Stir in more milk as needed to create a sauce that is thick like jam. Stir in the mustard and enough salt and pepper to give the béchamel a rich flavor.

Add onion and porcini mixture and spoon through until completely incorporated. Chill overnight. To proceed, see Methods (below).

 

Rotisserie Chicken & Leek Croquettes

These croquettes start with a velouté that gets its rich flavor from a homemade stock made from the leftover carcass of a rotisserie chicken.

Note: The optional gelatin in this recipe helps to keep the chilled velouté solid, especially if it is on the runny side, making it easier to portion and bread. Chill overnight to set. The gelatin liquifies again when the croquettes are cooked, resulting in a beautifully oozing interior.

Makes 10–15 depending on size

  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2–3 cups well-seasoned chicken stock (recipe below)
  • 2 teaspoons gelatin powder (optional)
  • ½–1 cup cooked meat picked from the rotisserie chicken carcass
  • ½ cup cooked leeks (or other allium)
  • ¼ cup finely chopped herbs (parsley, tarragon, basil: whichever you have)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped olives or sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

To make the velouté, start by melting the butter in a large saucepan over high heat. When butter is foaming lightly, mix in flour and cook for 3–4 minutes. Add 1 cup stock and stir until no lumps remain (mixture will be thick). Stir in more stock as needed to create a smooth sauce that is thick like honey. Dissolve the gelatin in the sauce. Stir in remaining ingredients. Make sure the final sauce is well-seasoned as croquettes tend to mellow in flavor when fried. Chill overnight. To proceed, see Methods (below).

 

Rotisserie Chicken Stock

  • 1 rotisserie chicken carcass
  • 1 whole onion, or trimmings from several onions
  • Other trimmings such as celery (leaf and base), leek (dark green part), carrot tops, fennel stems, citrus rind
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Fennel seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt, or to taste

Place all items in a large pot and fill with water to just cover. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 1 hour. Strain over a deep bowl. Use within 3 days, or freeze.

 

Mashed Root Vegetable Croquettes with Mushrooms, Scallions, and Bleu Cheese

If you are not keen on making béchamel or velouté, simply go with a mash of root vegetables as the base. Mix it with anything you need to finish before the next grocery run: ham, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, grated cheese…. Here, I add sautéed mushrooms along with scallions and bleu cheese for their enticing flavors. Serve with a salad for a nice lunch.

Makes 12–15 medium to large

  • 3 cups leftover potato and parsnip purée (or other mashed root vegetable purée)
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped and sautéed in butter
  • ½ cup chopped scallions (green and white parts)
  • ½ cup bleu cheese (Use a vegan cheese if you like.)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Put the mash in a bowl and mix in all other ingredients. Season to taste, but make sure to season well as croquettes tend to mellow in flavor when fried.

See Methods for shaping, breading, and frying.

 

Methods

Breading

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 egg (or flax egg), well-beaten
  • 1 cup (or more) homemade breadcrumbs

Prepare 3 bowls, 1 each for flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs. Amounts above are approximate. Expect to replenish bowls with more flour, egg, and breadcrumbs as needed.

Determine the size and shape you want for your croquettes (see below) and portion your batch accordingly. Scoop a portion, roll into desired shape, roll in flour, then in egg, and finish with breadcrumbs. Transfer to a plate. Continue until done.

Pick your shape

Ball: Roll into an evenly round ball.

Cylinder: Roll between palms to shape a cylinder, then press both ends on the counter to flatten.

Oviform: Roll between palms, then close palms to tighten ends.

Frying

Heat frying oil in a deep pot to 350°F. Fry the croquettes in batches (without crowding the basket) until golden brown, about 4–5 minutes. Scoop them out using a skimmer, drain, and serve hot.

Storing

Croquettes keep in the fridge for 2 days or in the freezer for 3–4 months. (First freeze them on a baking sheet without touching, then store frozen in single layers separated with wax paper.)

 

Francine Spiering is a food writer, editor, and recipe developer who has worked with several Edible Communities magazines. She has a passion for travel and a kitchen diploma from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Follow her on Instagram @lifeinthefoodlaneRaymond Franssen is a world-traveling geologist and amateur photographer. Follow him on Instagram @barolo_raymond.