Croquetas

Spanish croquettes

INGREDIENTS

Béchamel base

• 1 litre of whole milk
• 100 g butter or olive oil
• 100 g of all-purpose flour
• ½ onion
• Salt, pepper and nutmeg
• For coating: beaten egg + breadcrumbs

Filling 1: Ham

• 200 g Serrano ham
• 100 g aged cheese

Filling 2: Spinach and mushroom

• 200 g cooked spinach
• 150 g cooked mushroom

METHOD

1. Make the béchamel. Gently soften the finely chopped onion in the butter or oil. Add the flour and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, so it loses its raw taste.
2. Add the milk. Pour in the milk little by little, stirring all the time so no lumps form. Keep cooking and stirring for 15–20 minutes, until the béchamel is very thick and comes away from the sides of the pan. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
3. Add the filling. Stir in the chopped ham and cheese, or the spinach and mushrooms.
4. Chill. Spread the mixture in a dish, press cling film onto the surface and let it cool. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, until firm.
5. Shape and coat. Shape into small croquetas, dip in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs.
6. Fry. Fry a few at a time in plenty of very hot oil until golden, then drain on paper.

At MED4FOOD

At the exchange, the group used Italian prosciutto crudo instead of Serrano ham, and brought the aged cheese with them from Spain.

From the Youth Exchange MED4FOOD (9–18 June 2025), organised by Associazione Kora at the educational farm La Buona Terra, Passignano sul Trasimeno. Project 2024-1-IT03-KA151-YOU-000220163. Funded by the European Union; views expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU or the Agenzia Italiana per la Gioventù.