Spinach croquettes

If you are looking for a delicious, original and comforting way to incorporate more vegetables into your day-to-day, these home spinach croquettes are the perfect solution. They have an extremely creamy inner texture thanks to a well-worked bechamel and a golden and crispy exterior overlay that conquers anyone. Ideals like appetizer, cover or family dinner!

▪ Recipe information

▪ Preparation time: 30 minutes (+ 4 hours cold rest)

▪ Cooking time: 15 minutes

Rations: 4 people (approx. 16-20 units)

▪ Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

For the mass of croquettes:

300 g of spinach (fresh or frozen)

1 medium onion

50 g of butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

80 g wheat flour

500 ml tempered milk

Nutmeg to taste

Salt and black pepper ground to taste

For bobbing and frying:

Wheat meal (for the first bounce)

2 eggs beaten

Grated bread

Abundant olive or sunflower oil (to fry)

Paso a Paso para la Elaboration

Prepare the spinach: If you use fresh spinach, skip them in a pan with a few drops of oil until they are reduced. If they are frozen, cook them or unfreeze them completely. Listen to them perfectly by pressing hard (you can use a colator or a clean cloth) to remove all excess water. You take them finely and save them.

Make the saffrito: In a large pan, heat the olive oil along with the butter. Add the chopped onion very fine and polish it over medium heat until it is clear and tender.

Integrate the spinach: Incorporate the chopped spinach into the pan with the onion and refuse everything together for a couple of minutes to mix the flavors.

Cook the flour: Spread the 80 g of flour directly on the saffrito. It is constantly removed with a wooden spoon or spatula for 1 or 2 minutes; this is key for flour to lose its taste to crude.

Pour the milk (The secret of the bechamel): It begins to add the tempered milk little by little, while still removing (preferably with a stick) to prevent them from forming grooves.

It gives texture and seasone: It cooks the bechamel over medium-low heat without stopping to remove for about 10-15 minutes. You will know that it is ready when the mass starts to thwart and is easily removed from the walls of the pan. Add salt, black pepper and a generous pint of nutmeg.

Cold rest: Pour the mass into a wide source. Cover it with transparent film "to skin" (making the plastic touch the surface of the mass to prevent a hard crusts from forming). Take it to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (ideal is to prepare it the night before).

Form and bounce: With the cold mass, take portions with a spoon or with your hands. Give them oval or round shape. Pour them first for flour, then for the beaten egg, and finally cover them well with the grated bread.

Cold at the right temperature: Heat abundant oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat (about 180 ° C). Fry the croquettes in small steps so that the oil temperature does not fall, until they are well golden and crisp everywhere.

Drain and serve: Take them out with a foaming and place them on a plate with absorbent paper to remove excess fat. Serve them hot!

The Chef's Tips for 10 Croquettes

The importance of the cold: Never try to bounce the dough if it is tempered; it will stick to your hands and be broken into the pan. The colder the dough, the easier it will be to work it.

Can they freeze? Yes! You can freeze the croquettes already formed and packed (before frying them). When cooking, you don't need to unfreeze them previously; fry them directly in hot oil by adding a couple more minutes to the frying time.

The special touch: If you like cheese, you can add a little bit of parmesan cheese grated or mozzarella in small cubes in the center of each croquette by forming them to get a solid interior.