- 2 cups of cooked and ground beef
- 1 medium onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 liter of broth (chicken or meat)
- 100 grams of wheat flour
- 100 ml of oil
- Salt and ground pepper to taste
- Grated nutmeg to taste
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup of breadcrumbs or crushed cookies.
The previously cooked and shredded meat is ground in a grinding machine or with an electric mixer. Salt and pepper are added, and it is set aside for later.
For the béchamel: Chop garlic, onion, and red pepper. It’s best to mix and grind everything so that it is homogeneous and the croquettes do not have bits or chunks in the mouth.
Add oil to a saucepan and sauté the mentioned ingredients. When the sauté is ready, add the flour and mix well. Incorporate the chicken broth to make the béchamel. Some people use milk instead of broth, but it makes the meat lose flavor. Add nutmeg to taste. When the consistency of the béchamel is just right, add the meat and continue stirring to ensure it is well integrated into the sauce. At that point, you may need to add more flour if the dough is too soft, or more broth if it is too thick. Stir over low heat until the dough is compact and easily pulls away from the bottom. Remove it from the saucepan and let it cool.
As the dough cools, start shaping the croquettes. If they stick to your hands, you can put a little oil on them to handle them. Some people also use the same breadcrumbs (or flour) that they will use to coat them to shape them. When all the croquettes are ready, we coat them. First, they are dipped in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs.
They should be fried in very hot oil; otherwise, they tend to break apart, which is not pleasant to the eye or the palate, as they become greasy. After frying them, we suggest placing them on absorbent paper to drain excess fat.
Enjoy this recipe. Bon appétit!!