Making Traditional Dutch Croquettes

I was first introduced to croquettes by a Dutch colleague, who had made some for the staff. I could not believe how delicious this variation of meatballs was! When I visited the Netherlands a couple of years later, I was astonished to find that this delicatessen was widely available as a fast food from take-away stalls. I was excited to buy some, but incredibly disappointed at the taste. The fast food market did not deliver the traditional croquette, but merely a rushed reminder of it. There was only one thing to do; learn to make them myself! I share this very traditional recipe with you in today's blog.

Start by chopping an onion very finely. I also collected some greens from the garden; a couple of sprigs of celery, some spinach and a few parsley leaves.

Brown your onions in a little heated oil in a large pot.

I added approximately 1 kg mincemeat to the pot and browned this with the onions.

I love the Rosemary & Lemon spices with the croquettes, but you may have another favourite. I add a little salt and black pepper.

I then add my garden greens, which has been finely chopped. I continue cooking till the meat is done.

I now need to make a roux and start by melting some margarine in a saucepan.

I scoop some flour into the melted margarine and stir to create my roux.

I then add a little less milk than I would for a normal white sauce, as I wish to use my 'white sauce' to bind the meat.

I season the sauce with salt and pepper.

This is more or less the consistency I am looking for. I add the sauce to the cooked mincemeat.

Stir the sauce into the meat.

Add 1-2 eggs, depending on how runny your meat is.

Stir the eggs in very quickly, so it can bind your meat, rather than to cook into a scrambled egg.

Leave the meat to cool down completely. You can speed this up by placing the pot in cold water, or you can put the meat in the fridge overnight, depending on how much time you have available.

Once your meat is cold, form the mince into oblong rolls.

Shape all of the meat in this way.

Put a pot with oil on the stove top to heat. You will need enough oil to deep-fry the croquettes.

Season a bowl of breadcrumbs.

Scramble 3-5 eggs in a bowl and season.

Roll the shaped meat in the breadcrumbs.

Now roll the croquette in the egg.

Give it a second roll in the breadcrumbs.

Deep-fry in the hot oil for roughly 4 minutes. Turn if necessary.

Remove from the oil and place on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.

Bake all of the croquettes.

Croquettes are traditionally served with applesauce or mustard. Serve hot from the oil to ensure crispness.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
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