Beef Croquettes

This is a recipe which everyone I've ever known has loved. It's a dutch recipe passed down from my mother. I've only made it myself about three times, since it is so very time consuming, and takes the best part of a day to make. But it makes heaps, and they are nice to have in the freezer, and DP loves them. Since I've been making a lot of his favourites this week, I thought it was about time I spent a day in the kitchen and make some again. After all, nothing says I love you like a hot, sweaty, tired partner covered in goop right? Um, perhaps don't answer that. But, everything has it's payoff, and you can't buy food like this from the freezer section. Damn, I just realised. If I'd only have made these earlier in the fortnight, I could have brought them to the Retro Blog Party!

Croquettes
1 1/2 litres of water
750g mince
4 beef cubes
1 onion (chopped and fried)
1 tsp curry
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp salt

Boil ingredients for 1/2 - 3/4 hr set aside to cool.

200g butter
400g plain flour

Melt butter, add flour slowly mixing together. When mixture is like crumbs, add the liquid from the meat mixture in, a ladle full at a time. When all flour, butter and water has been incorporated, add meat mixture. This is an insanely thick mixture. Blend together with a stick mixer until smooth.

It'll look kinda like this

Then cook for a few more minutes over low heat till it thickens a bit more. Don't let the bottom bits burn! Allow to cool.

Roll into log shapes. Unless you have a nifty croquette machine like I do, then it's just

Fill...


push...


and squoosh! Perfect logs, just cut to length.

Roll in breadcrumbs, roll through egg mix (1 cup milk , 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon oil), then through breadcrumbs again. Get yourself a little production line thing happening:

Working from right to left cos I'm weird.

Deep fry in hot oil for about five minutes or until golden brown and crunchy. Unfried croquettes can be frozen until needed. Since this usually an all day affair, lunch on these days was traditionally the meat mornay (mixture right before the 'roll into shape' step) on sandwiches. If Mum started too late in the day, then that was what we'd have for dinner, and she'd make the croquettes for the freezer afterwards. This makes plenty to freeze.

I think I had around 50 or so