| Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan;
add the onions and sauté on medium-low heat until
translucent. Gradually whisk in flour to make a roux—add
more butter if necessary to make it smooth. Gradually
whisk in the milk to form a smooth sauce. Continue cooking
until the sauce thickens. Your sauce needs to be very
thick—like wallpaper paste! Whisk in nutmeg, sherry,
and parsley. Fold in the ground ham and bread crumbs.
Let simmer for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring constantly.
Taste and season with pepper and a little salt if necessary;
the ham probably has enough salt already. Spoon the mixture
into a baking dish and refrigerate until well chilled—at
least 1 hour.
TIP: The mixture needs to be firm enough to form into
rolls. If your mixture is too soft or sticky, add additional
bread crumbs.
Beat the eggs with water in a mixing bowl until frothy.
Combine the bread crumbs and flour in a second bowl
with salt and pepper. Shape the ham mixture into logs
about <3/4> inch thick and 3 inches long. Dip
the logs in the egg wash and roll the logs in the seasoned
bread crumbs. Dip a second time and re-roll in bread
crumbs.
IMPORTANT: Cover logs with plastic wrap and refrigerate
for 2 to 3 hours. (You may also freeze for later use,
or use the freezer to quickly chill them.)
In a large frying pan, add enough vegetable oil to
cover half the croqueta at a time. Heat the oil to the
frying stage—about 360 to 375 degrees F. Sauté
a few croquetas at a time in the hot oil for 3 to 4
minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove
from oil and drain on paper towels. Immediately make
loud noises, pretend someone is at the door, or otherwise
endeavor to distract any bystanders. This will prevent
the hungry from attacking the croquetas before they
are cool enough to eat safely! Believe us, fresh croquetas
have a habit of rapidly and mysteriously disappearing!
Serves 6 to 8 (2 croquetas per person).
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