Milk Croquettes
This is one of the signature dishes of my mother-in-law. Delicious as a Antipasto or a side dish. Preparation is variation of the Besciamella Sauce, the consistency needs to be more solid in order for the Croquette to keep its shape. The traditional recipe calls for Caciocavallo, a strong sicilian cheese, but parmigiano is a good substitute. Be creative, you can add any cheese or flavor that you like: mozzarella, onion, spinach are good addition to this recipe. You can also add spices to the bread crumbs.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups (=500 ml) of mik
• 1 Egg
• 5 Oz (=140 gr) of flour
• 4 Oz (= 110 gr) of butter
• 2 Oz (=50 gr) of parmigiano cheese
• 5 Oz (= 140 gr) of bread crumbs
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt

Total Time: 2 hours
Preparation 40 min
Cook 20 min
In the fridge 1 hour

Yield: 30 Croquettes
Level: Medium

Directions

Take the egg and separate yolk and white. Add a teaspoon of salt to the flour and one teaspoon in the bread crumbs. Preparation is very similar to the Besciamella Sauce, the goal this time is to get a more solid consistency.
Melt the butter in a sauce pan, on low heat. Then, slowly, add the flour, better if you use a sifter. When the flour has incorporated all the butter, add the milk, very very slowly, especially at the beginning. With the wooden spoon, maintain a constant motion, make sure that nothing stick to the bottom of the pan.
Keep you eyes on the mixture, don’t get distracted, don’t answer the phone. Keep mixing the sauce, until you get a almost solid consistency, when you notice that the sauce does not stick anymore to the wall of the pan, it is time to turn off the heat.
Now you can add the rest of the ingredients: parmisan cheese and the yolk, and mix again. The yolk will help the mixture to stay solid.
Let the mixture rest in a plate until it reach room temperature, about 10-15 min.
When the mixture is cooled off, you are ready to shape the Croquettes. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and give it a compacted elongated shape, or shape it into a ball. Repeat, you should be able to make about 30 Croquettes.
Put the Croquettes in the fridge for 1 hour, or for 10-15 min (maximum) in the freezer. This will help the Croquettes to keep their shape when you fry them.
Next step is to cover the Croquettes with a crust. Have your station ready with the egg white and bread crumbs. First cover the Croquette with egg white then with bread crumbs.
Now you are ready for deep frying. On hot oil, fry the Croquettes for few minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy!
Ciao by Max Suterini