Genuine Spanish croquetas are filled with a creamy béchamel mixture and fried to a crisp outer shell and they are delicious!

Makes 12-15

Ingredients
50g butter
4 heaped tablespoons plain flour
300mls milk
Pinch white pepper
50g hard cheese (cheddar or machego are good options)
½ cup green olives, de-stoned, chopped roughly
1 egg, beaten
Extra flour for coating
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

Method

In a pot, melt the butter on a low heat,add the flour and stir to form a paste. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, then slowly add the milk, stirring or whisking until there are no lumps.Increase the heat slightly and stir until the sauce is a thickened and the flour has completely cooked – you shouldn’t be able to detect any flour when you taste it.

Add the pepper, cheese and olives and stir to combine. Taste to make sure it has enough seasoning. Pour into a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming and allow to cool completely.

Set up three plates, one with a beaten egg, one with flour and one with breadcrumbs.

Begin to shape the croquetas by rolling tablespoonfuls of the cooled béchamel into small sausage shapes. Roll each one in flour, then egg, then in the breadcrumbs and set aside.

Fill a medium sized pot with enough cooking oil to come halfway up the pot and turn it to medium heat. Focus and do not leave the pot for a minute!

Once hot enough (small currants will form on the bottom of the pot but it will not reach smoking point), begin to cook the croquetas 3-5 at a time by lowering them into the oil with a slotted spoon. If your oil is not hot enough they will sink and melt, instead of floating and frying, so trial one first.

Fry in batches until each is golden brown all over (turn them if you need to but they often do it themselves). Remove and drain on paper towels and serve immediately.