Original post made in 2007.

An article called ‘Leftovers are a cheaper, greener option’ at the Daily Telegraph reminded me of a snack/starter I hadn’t made for some time. Croquetas – croquettes or croquets in English, are a tasty way of using up small amounts of leftovers.

The Telegraph’s recipe differs slightly from my own in that it adds egg and butter to the base sauce. It also differs in that the article is now behind a paywall!

This isn’t a recipe as such, more a guideline as to how to make them

I make a white sauce with 50gm flour, 50gm butter and 280gm milk. Season, bring to a boil stirring, it will become very thick. Continue to stir it on the lowest heat for about 4-5 minutes. Stir constantly. Add a handful of grated cheese and very finely chopped ham.

You could also make them with chicken, mushrooms, vegetables or fish. You can omit the cheese, or add other things like chopped chilli.

My favourite is fish. They’re particularly good with plaice and parsley.

You leave this mixture to go completely cold and ‘rubber-like’; then, taking pieces about the size of a walnut, dip them into seasoned flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs – shape into balls or ‘cork shapes’.

Do the egg and breadcrumb bit again, then put them into the fridge for about an hour to firm up.

Deep fry them till golden.

You can add finely ground cream crackers to the breadcrumbs. They ensure a well sealed coating and you will only need to breadcrumb once.