Turkey & Ham Croquetas

Ingredients

• 500ml whole milk
• half an onion
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• pinch saffron threads (optional)
• 60g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 60g plain flour
• 100g Serrano ham (or any other well-flavoured ham), finely chopped
• 100g cooked cold turkey, finely chopped
• 25g Parmesan cheese, grated
• nutmeg for grating
• black pepper
• 150g fine breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• oil for deep frying

Method

Heat the oil and butter in a medium, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. When the butter melts, add two-thirds of the ham and cook until the ham fat begins to melt.

Reduce the heat and gradually stir in the flour, cooking gently and stir regularly for about 8–10 minutes.

Gradually stir in the hot milk and beat in well, until it becomes a smooth paste. Cook for another 15 minutes until it has the consistency of smooth mashed potato. Stir in the rest of the ham, add the turkey, the cheese and season to taste with a grating of nutmeg and some black pepper. Put the mixture in a bowl and allow to cool. Place some clingfilm on to the surface of the sauce to prevent it from forming a skin and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If you can leave overnight, all the better, as the mixture needs to be very cold to make it easier to work with.

Put the beaten eggs into a bowl, and the breadcrumbs into another. Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into cylinder shapes and roll them in the breadcrumbs. Next, dip them into the egg and coat them in the breadcrumbs again. Place them on plate and put in refrigerator for an hour to firm up.

Either use a deep fat fryer or carefully use a wok. Heat the oil to 180C, or until it begins to shimmer. Prepare a baking tray with kitchen roll. Fry the croquetas in batches of four for a couple of minutes until golden all over. They will start to make a sputtering sound when done. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper-lined tray. Keep warm in a very low oven while you make the rest.
Serve warm.