Croquetas de Jamon - Ham Croquettes

Ham Croquettes    
  "Try these delicious snacks made from scratch.  They are very popular Cuban snacks, and can be found in any authentic Cuban restaurant, bakeries, or walk up counters all over Miami!"  

Serving size: 18

Ingredients:

(Croquettes)

1 lb of grounded smoked ham

1 cup bread crumbs (dried) w/ 1/4 cup flour - mix

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup onion (minced)

1 tsp parsley (chopped)

4 tbsp butter

1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup vegetable oil

(Batter)

2 whole eggs (beaten)

1 tbsp water

1 cup bread crumbs (dried) w/ 1/4 cup flour - mix

1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

(Preparations)

In a large bowl, stir 1/4 cup flour with 1 cup of bread crumbs and milk.  Make sure it is well mixed.  Add the salt, pepper, parsley and mix.  

Now in a large frying pan, melt the butter and saute the onions until translucent.  Stir in the first bowl mixture and continue to cook until it thickens.  Pour in the grounded ham and continue to mix.  Then cover, and let simmer on low heat for about 7 minutes or so.  After, place in bowl, and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

In a separate bowl, mix the whisked egg with water.  On a separate large plate, put the bread crums and flour and add salt and pepper and mix it with your fingers.  Take the ham mixture from the refrigerator, and on a pan, shape pieces of ham into logs of about 3 inches long, by 1 inch thickness.  After you're done making all your logs from the ham mixture, dip each ham log into the bowl egg mixture and then roll it across plate with the bread crumbs and flour.  You may use a fork and fingers to dip the croquettes, and roll them.  You may need to dip and roll on bread crumbs/flour mixture a couple of times to get them covered nicely.

When you're done with all the ham logs (dipping and covering them with the mixtures), put them in a large plate covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours at least.  

(Cooking)

After this, they will be ready to be cooked.  In vegetable oil, heat to 350 degrees and cook the ham croquettes a few at a time (about 3 to 4 depending on your pan size).  You should continually roll them so one side doesn't get burned.  They only need to be cooked about 4 minutes per batch.  Once golden brown, take them out and soak them on paper towels to remove excess oil.  Garnish with a few pieces of parsley.  You may also wish to create a nice dipping sauce for your tasty snacks.  Stay tuned to Best Cuban Recipes for a great croquette dipping sauce! 

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