Croquetas de Carne

MEAT CROQUETTES

This is the recipe that started the idea for this cookbook. This is my mom’s 40+ year recipe. Never measured, never wrote the recipe down; until now.

Ingredients

• 1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• ½ yellow onion, minced

• ½ small green pepper, seeds removed, minced

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 cups milk, warm

• 1½ cup beef broth

• ¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• eggs

• Italian breadcrumbs

• Vegetable oil to fry

1. In a pressure cooker, add the flank steak and fill with water until completely covered. Cook in pressure for 40 minutes until the meat is tender. Once done, remove the meat and allow to cool. Save 1 cup of the beef broth.

   
   

2. In a food processor, add meat and pulse until minced. Set aside

   
   

3. In a pot, melt butter on medium heat. Once melted and butter is hot, add onion and pepper and cook until soft, not browned. Once vegetables are tender, add the flour. Mix the flour until it’s all mixed to remove the flour taste.

   
   

4. Add the flour. Continuously stir so that the mixture doesn’t stick. Cook for 3 minutes. This will cook off the flour taste.

   
   

5. Start to add the warm milk little by little and then the beef broth, continuously mixing. This is to avoid any lumps in your bechamel. When you have added all of the milk, continue to mix until you have a creamy mixture.

   
   

6. Add parsley, nutmeg, and salt. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture starts to unstick from the pot. Taste for salt just in case it might need more.

   
   

7. Once the croquette mixture is done, lay it out on a sheet tray to cool and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to refrigerate for 2 hours.

   
   

8. Set up a breading station with bread crumbs and eggs. Whisk the eggs until they are liquified. Using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop that measures a tablespoon, roll and shape the croquette. Breading first. Once all breaded, freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and dip croquetas in the egg, drain well, and finish breading with a second coat. Once all of the croquettes are breaded, freeze until frozen. Store them in plastic bags to protect from freezer burn.

   
   

9. To fry croquettes: heat oil to 350 degrees F in a small pot. Fry only a few at a time. You do not want to bring down the temperature of the oil. Fry until they are browned and the internal temperature is 165 degrees F. Serve and enjoy.