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😋 The ideal recipe for a gourmet aperitif
I love traditional Spanish-style "croquetas", but I wanted to change things up and try a recipe for goat's cheese and spinach croquettes. Mixed with a delicious béchamel sauce, these croquettes will revolutionize your aperitifs!
💙 Why you'll love this recipe
- She's vegetarian and terribly greedy
- It's the ideal amuse bouche, to share with family or friends.
- It can be prepared in advance
🧀 What ingredients do you need?
Here are the ingredients you'll need to prepare this recipe. Quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this article.
- Spinach: not to be confused with spinach shoots, which are much smaller.
- Butter: I recommend soft butter, which is better for the béchamel sauce.
- Flour : the all-purpose is perfect
- Milk: I recommend semi-skimmed milk
- Nutmeg
- Goat cheese
- Panko breadcrumbs: this is a type of breadcrumb used in Asian cuisine. I find it much better than traditional breadcrumbs, and since I discovered it, I've been using it everywhere. It can be found in Asian grocery stores/world cuisine or on the Internet. Of course, if you don't have any, you can use traditional breadcrumbs.
- Eggs
- Fine herbs
- Frying oil: you can use sunflower oil, but it's hard to find at the moment. It can be replaced by avocado or peanut oil.
- Salt and pepper
🥚 Which egg to choose?
Ideally pasture-raised organic. You can refer to the Eco Tips I've written on eggs to help you choose the right ones.
💡 Tips for making the best goat and spinach croquettes
- Drain your spinach very well. If there's too much water left, it could make the croquettes all floaty...
- A trip to the freezer is important: without it, you won't be able to form your balls. It's the freezer that allows the mixture to harden and take shape. If you don't have any, refrigeratethem for 2 to 3 hours.
- Check that your frying oil is hot (around 355°F/180°C) before putting in your fritters. You can use a kitchen thermometer, as I do, or drop a drop of water into the pan. If it sizzles, you can use it now.
- Make sure your frying oil isn't too hot: if it is, your oil will first darken before turning black. And then your fritters (and the fried food) risk burning too, and will be fried on the outside but raw on the inside.
- Don't put too many croquettes into the pan at once, as this may cause the temperature of the frying oil to drop too low. Put one in a small saucepan, two in a medium-sized one and a maximum of three in a very large one.
- At the moment, there's a shortage of sunflower oil : I've discoveredavocado and peanut oil, which are the rare oils that can be used for frying thanks to their fairly high smoke point. So don't hesitate to vary your pleasures with these oils.
💡Frequently Asked Questions
If your oil hasn't turned black, you can wait for it to cool down, then put it back in its bottle and use it again and again. Otherwise: don't pour your frying oil down the drain, or it will clog it up. The best thing to do is to put it back in the bottle once it's cooled down (very important, otherwise it'll have holes in it and your funnel will melt, as was the case with me the first time), then take it to a waste disposal site with hazardous waste or special household waste. And if that's impossible, at least put it in the non-recyclable waste garbage can.
I recommend storing these croquettes in an airtight tin in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat them, just pop them in the oven (don't use a microwave, as it will soften them) and you're ready to go.
If you make these spinach croquettes, it would be so nice to leave me a comment and rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Tik Tok, or even send me a photo, I love seeing my little dishes in your homes!
📖 Recette
Spanish spinach croquettes
Ingredients
For the Béchamel Sauce
- 3 tablespoons soft butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ ⅛ cups milk
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
For spinach and goat cheese Croquettes
- 18 oz. spinach
- ½ cup goat cheese
For breading and baking
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Flour
- 2-3 eggs
- 1 handful herbs
- 4 ¼ cups frying oil adjust based on the size of your pan
Instructions
- Blanch the spinach: cook for 5 minutes in a pan of boiling water and drain. Place in a clean tea towel, seal and squeeze out all the water (super important to avoid watery croquettes). Then chop finely.
- Prepare the béchamel sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add the flour and mix vigorously with a whisk. My Mum's trick for making a good béchamel is to let the mixture thicken (stirring constantly to avoid lumps), add a little milk, let it thicken, add a little more milk, and do this several times in a row, then remove from the heat. At the end, the texture should be smooth and creamy, but not liquid. This is also when you can add the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Add the spinach and goat cheese to the béchamel, place in a dish, leave to cool, cover with cling film and freeze for 40 minutes.
- Using your hands, make balls, dipping them in the flour, beaten eggs and Panko breadcrumbs, into which you've mixed a few herbs.
- Once all your balls are ready, put them back in the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the frying oil in a large saucepan.
- Place the croquettes (in batches of 2 or 3) in it. Fry for a few minutes, until golden-brown, then remove to kitchen paper and enjoy!
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
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