Croquetas De Carne (Beef Croquettes)

Every Summer my parents and I would drive from Connecticut to Miami. (Yes Summer, don't forget we are Cuban)

We would leave early in the morning and stop about 5 o'clock. Find a hotel. Take a shower and go out to dinner. The trip would take about one and a half days.

For the trip my mother would make different things to eat during the day. One of them was the Croquetas the Carne. She would pack them in a cooler and I would delight eating them, sitting in the back seat as we traveled. To this day, every time I have them, it brings me back to those trips. This one is for you , Mima y Pipo! Thank you for those trips to Miami!

The most popular croquettes even in Cuba are ham croquettes but my mother would make them out of beef.

Here is her recipe. Hope you enjoy them. Let me know!

1 lb Top Round

2 cups all Purpose Flour

1 stick salted butter

3 cups milk ( I use 2%)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp granulated onion

1 tsp parsley flakes

3 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

3 eggs

Canola Oil

Cut top round in large squares. Place in pressure cooker with 4 cups water. Bring pressure in pressure cooker up. When it starts to jiggle, lower heat and cook for 20 minutes. Bring pressure down. Remove meat from pressure cooker. Place in food processor and pulse until meat is shredded small.

In a large frying pan melt butter. Add flour and stir with butter. Add milk slowly as you are mixing to make a roux. Keep adding milk and mixing until roux is smooth. Add salt, pepper, garlic, onion and parsley flakes. Remove from heat and add shredded beef. Fold beef in util is all mixed and it is all a smooth consistency. Transfer to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for about 15 minutes.

Beat the eggs with 3 tbs water in a medium bowl. Add breadcrumbs to another bowl. With your hands grab about 2 tbs of the beef mix and shape into 3” logs and place on a plate Take one log at a time and dip first into the breadcrumbs, then into the egg mix then back to the breadcrumbs. Do this with all of them. Place on a plate till all of the beef mix is gone. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to air dry a bit.

In a medium frying pan, fill halfway with Canola oil. Set on medium high heat. When oil has heated, place 6 or 7 croquettes in and keep turning until golden brown. As they are done, place on a paper towel lined platter. When all done, transfer to a serving platter. Refrigerate what you don’t use.

You can enjoy these hot, room temperature or refrigerator cold..

If you are making them as an appetizer for a party, you can make them smaller.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!