Black pudding and apple croquetas

Makes 16-20 Starters and mains

Jose Pizarro Day3 8789

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Ingredients

  • 500ml whole milk
  • 95g butter
  • 150ml vegetable stock
  • 120g plain flour
  • 75g manchego cheese, grated
  • olive oil, for frying
  • 150g morcilla (black pudding), chopped
  • 1 apple, cored and finely chopped
  • sprinkle caster sugar
  • 150g dried breadcrumbs
  • 2 large eggs, beaten

Method

Heat the milk and stock together in a saucepan. In another pan melt 85g butter over a medium heat, add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned. Gradually add the milk and stock mixture, until you have a thick, smooth béchamel sauce. Season and add the cheese. Stir until melted and smooth. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the morcilla until starting to crisp, then drain on kitchen paper. Add the remaining butter to the pan and, when foaming, add the apple and sugar and cook for a couple of minutes until lightly caramelised. Fold the morcilla and apple into the béchamel.

Spread the mixture out evenly in a shallow tray and press down. Cover with a sheet of baking paper or cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Put some oil in the palm of your hand and roll the mixture into balls of 30g each. Put the breadcrumbs and eggs in two separate bowls. Dip the croquetas first in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs to coat evenly all over.

Heat the oil in a deep pan to 190C/375F – or until a cube of bread browns in about 20 seconds – and fry the croquetas for around 2 minutes or until golden. Place on kitchen paper to drain. Devour immediately.

Recipes and photographs taken from Catalonia: Recipe from Barcelona and Beyond by José Pizarro, photography by Laura Edwards. (Hardie Grant, £25).
Jose Pizarro Day3 8789
Recipes and photographs taken from Catalonia: Recipe from Barcelona and Beyond by José Pizarro, photography by Laura Edwards. (Hardie Grant, £25).

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