Croquetas, Creamy Spanish Tapas

I have been to Spain only once and I have always wanted to go back- for the mountains, for Antonio Gaudi and for Barcelona. I loved wandering around the magnificent Barcelona market, la Boqueria where the vegetables and fruits are treated like art and arranged in orderly rows and not dumped in a heap like in most shuks in Israel.

Overlooking the city is the Sagrada Familia, designed by the genius Antonio Gaudi who had the rare ability to harness his uninhibited and extraordinary imagination into his architecture.  His projects grace Barcelona with their whimsical and organic designs that have attracted millions of visitors to the city.

On our two week visit we climbed the Pyrenees and looked down upon the beautiful world from Mount Perdido, the third highest mountain in the Pyrenees.

On the way up we were told by a ranger who took one look at my husband’s sandaled feet said in disgust ” I weel nut rescue you!”

When I heard my husband had a business trip in Barcelona I tried to wheedle another visit but at the end other things took precedence (who would watch the kids?).  Instead, to appease me for the time being, he bought me two Spanish cookbooks, one was a glossy coffee table affair and the other an encyclopedia of tapas from all the top chefs of the country. I have never tried anything from them but about a year ago I discovered Miriam Garcia’s wonderful Spanish food blog called The Winter Guest, with authentic Spanish recipes and wonderful pictures. I attempted my first croquetas using her recipe and step by step photographs which made me feel I had a Spanish cook by my side.

I added 100 grams of tuna fish and another 100 grams of green olives instead of 200 grams of tuna fish and reduced the salt from 1 tablespoon to 1 teaspoon. I know from my visit to Spain that they like their food much saltier than I am used to.

Miriam’s Croquetas

The technique used here is similar to making roux except that the ratio of fat to flour in roux is about 1:1 and in this recipe there is much less fat. I still have to practice to get perfectly shaped croquetas like Miriam but as for taste, they were delicous.

8 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 liter milk

100g tuna fish in oil, flaked

100g chopped green olives

2 or 3 pinches of nutmeg

For the coating

2 or 3 eggs, beaten

Breadcrumbs

Salt, I used 1 teaspoon

0.5 liter olive oil for frying (or enough to cover the croquetas)

Add the olive oil and butter in a pan and heat until the butter in melted. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes crumbly but does not turn brown. A few minutes is enough so the flour loses its raw flavor and releases a nutty smell. Add about 1/4 of the milk and mix continuously to avoid lumps, gradually add the rest of the milk. I used a hand held immersion mixer to help blend in the lumps. Add the tuna fish and olives and continue to stir until the consistency of the batter is thick and clumps to the spoon. The batter should lose its liquid consistency and start pulling away from the pan. Cool and cover with saran wrap so a film does not develop on the top. Refrigerate until ready to use. Let the batter come to room temperature and take two tablespoons (I used two teaspoons for smaller versions) to shape the croquetas. Dip in the egg and then roll in bread crumbs. Fry until golden, serve immediately.

I froze part of the croquetas after dipping in egg and breadcrumbs as Miriam suggested.