makes
12
prep
20 minutes
cook
2:30 hours
difficulty
Mid
makes
12
serves
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
2:30
hours
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 300 g (10½ oz) boneless veal leg, chopped into large chunks
- 1 large brown onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
- 200 g (7 oz/2 cups) dried breadcrumbs
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- lemon wedges, to serve
Chilling time: 1 hour
Instructions
1. Place the veal and onion in a saucepan and cover with 2 litres (68 fl oz/8 cups) cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, partially cover and cook for 2 hours until the veal is completely tender. Transfer the veal to a bowl and reserve 85 ml (2¾ fl oz) of the cooking water in a separate bowl. Discard the onion. Allow the veal to cool, then use two forks or your fingers to finely shred the meat. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
2. Melt half the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter begins to sizzle, stir through the flour to make a thick paste. Stir through the reserved stock and cook, stirring, until the mixture is smooth and thick. Remove from the heat and stir through the veal, oregano, parsley, lemon juice, half the parmesan and 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs. Season well with salt and pepper, then refrigerate until completely cold.
3. Using wet hands, form the mixture into 12 equal-sized meatballs. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and set aside in the fridge to firm up. Place the beaten egg in a shallow bowl and the remaining breadcrumbs in another bowl. Dip the meatballs in the egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs until completely coated. Place back on the baking tray and return to the fridge until ready to cook. (The croquettes can be made up to 2 days in advance.)
4. Heat 5 cm (2 in) of vegetable oil and the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and is sizzling in the oil, add half the croquettes and cook, turning frequently, for 4–5 minutes, until golden brown all over. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the croquettes to paper towel to drain and repeat with the remaining croquettes. To serve, scatter the remaining parmesan over the hot croquettes and serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.
Recipe from The Food of Argentina by Ross Dobson and Rachel Tolosa Paz, Smith Street Books, RRP $44.99
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
