The Spanish actor Paz Vega once said: “I cook croquetas, and I eat jamon. I keep my diet 100% Mediterranean and drink my rioja. In that sense, I have a piece of Spain in West Hollywood.”
If you’re reading this newspaper, it is highly unlikely you live in West Hollywood. But that doesn’t mean you cannot live by Vega’s rules… at least some of the time. Who doesn’t like croquetas? More importantly, who doesn’t enjoy injecting a little Med into their lives?
At Paco Tapas in Bristol, I declared I could eat 100 of Peter Sanchez-Iglesias’ crispy little morsels. We were having lunch in the sunshine a month or two ago, and I defy anyone to contest that croquetas de jamon, where pork is tidily encased in rich pockets of roux and supported by dainty breadcrumbs, aren’t the perfect accompaniment to a beer.
The weather might have soured of late but croquetas are enjoyable without sun. Beer still exists. And fine, 100 was overzealous on my part. It is only the excitement of croquetas that got me carried away. I shifted to 50 after a challenge, and then concluded that probably 25 would be enough. That would be gluttonous still.
The chef José Pizarro also makes gluttonworthy croquetas and has put together a vegan recipe using only the most sustainable ingredients. At any one of his restaurants – his Bermondsey flagship is a must – any number of variations might be on the menu. This one calls for walnuts, wild mushrooms and girolles, and autumn sings of fungi loudly, so let us hear it.
This recipe makes 30 croquetas – so a touch over a single sitting for me. Depends how many beers you can get down, though, really, doesn’t it?
FUNGI CROQUETAS
MAKES 30 CROQUETAS
INGREDIENTS:
15g dried wild mushrooms
125ml boiling water
150ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves, grated
250g fresh girolles
125g plain (all-purpose) flour
500ml fresh vegetable stock, warm
1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
50g walnuts, chopped
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Sea salt and ground black pepper
COATING:
3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
25g walnuts, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
150g panko breadcrumbs
Top tip: These croquetas can be made with any leftover nuts or vegetables you have available.
METHOD:
Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl with the boiling water and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
Drain, reserving the soaking liquor.
Heat 50ml (1fl oz/3 tbsp) of the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds, then add the drained mushrooms and girolles and fry until golden. Season well. In a separate saucepan, heat the rest of the oil over a high heat. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, then
gradually add the warm stock, stirring, until you have a smooth, thick béchamel.
Add the mushroom-soaking liquor and stir, then season. Roughly chop the
mushrooms and add them to the bechamel with the tarragon and walnuts. Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet, cover and chill until cold.
Once cold, take a spoonful of the mixture and roll into 30 balls of about 30g (1oz) each. To coat the croquetas, blitz the flour and walnuts together in a
small food processor, then transfer this mixture to a dish. Pour the olive oil into a second dish and the breadcrumbs into a third.
Coat each of the balls in walnut flour, then olive oil, then breadcrumbs, then
place on a baking sheet. When they are all coated, freeze for one hour. When
you’re ready to cook, pour the oil for deep-frying into a saucepan over a high
heat. Heat the oil to 180°c, or until a cube of bread browns in around 30 seconds. Drop a few of the croquetas into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until
deep golden and hot to the centre.
Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels
while you fry the rest. Serve straight away.
