Croquette Recipes with Spanish flavor

There is a saying that goes, "todos sabemos que en abril, croquetas mil," which can be loosely translated to, "we all know that in April, we eat lots of croquettes." I propose a better one: the more croquettes of any flavor that we can eat all year long, the better! The croquettes are a dish that remind us of our grandmothers, of food we ate at our parents house on Sundays, or of the croquettes we affectionately prepare in our own kitchen. We know there are a lot of croquette types: from the classic chicken and ham croquette, or hake, to some current types like spinach or mushroom.

On this occasion we decided to take advantage of our excellent national products to create croquette recipes that leave traces of our national flavors. A perfect ode to the croquette with which to feel the taste of ours. If you want to surprise your family and be the king or queen of croquettes, (that'll leave everyone sighing longingly just at the thought of the delicious croquettes), we propose 3 successful recipes.

Wait... did someone say croquettes?!

Croquettes Recipe: Borcos Sausage

Perfect for sausage lovers, this Burgos sausage croquettes recipe is easy to prepare and the result is delicious. Typical of Burgos gastronomy, its ingredients are rice and pork blood. If you are a fan of this product, we show you another way to enjoy it.

• Burgos sausage (1/2), breadcrumbs, egg
• Béchamel sauce: flour, milk, butter, olive oil, salt

Let's get started! In a frying pan (we do not need oil), brown the sausage (without skin) until it is softer. Save it. We prepare the bechamel sauce and add in the sausage. When the mixture is cold, we shape the croquettes and batter them (first the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs). And then... to the frying pan they go.

Croquettes Recipe: Cabrales Cheese

Just thinking about it makes our mouths water. What better way to add flavor to your croquette recipes than to add Cabrales cheese? This blue cheese is typical of Asturias, and it is prepared with a mixture of milk (sheep, goat or cow). As a soft paste, it has a strong smell and exquisite flavor. Here we go.

• Cabrales cheese (200 grams), breadcrumbs, egg
• Bechamel Sauce: olive oil, milk, flour, salt

The bechamel sauce is prepared without lumps. When it becomes creamy, add the Cabrales cheese. It should melt as we stir to create a mixture that is more or less compact, depending on how we like it.

Once the mixture is cold, we cover the croquettes with breadcrumbs, egg and, again, breadcrumbs. This step we can adapt to our usual practices. Our advice: since they are blue cheese croquettes, it may be better to make them a little smaller. If you are still hungry, you can always eat another one!

Croquettes Recipe: Garlic Gulas

Do you have a pack of "gulas" (a knock-off of angulas, aka eel) in the fridge or in the freezer? It's time to get them out! The angulas (eels) are a product that not everyone has access to, so today we will prepare a recipe for croquettes with its economic alternative (that is also very good): the gulas. The star dish of the Christmas celebration will be presented today in the form of croquettes.

• Fish broth (1/2 liter), gulas (1 pack)
• Ingredients of the bechamel sauce
• Garlic, cayenne, nutmeg, white pepper

This recipe might take a little more work, but the result will be worth our time in the kitchen. First, we fry the well minced clove of garlic with the gulas and the cayenne. When we finish, we remove the cayenne and save it. In a frying pan, add the butter and flour first. After this, pour the milk and the fish broth while stirring.  Season it and throw in a little nutmeg. Add the gulas. Once this is cold, we repeat the steps from the previous croquette recipes: shape and batter. Our advice: If you see that the gulas are too long, you can always cut them into pieces.

Text: María Jesús Colombo