Ham Croquetas (Croquetas de jamón)

Method

1. Chop the onion as finely as you can and cut the jamón into 3–5 mm pieces. Warm the milk in the microwave for 1–2 minutes. Melt the butter in a 18 cm saucepan over medium-low heat, add the onion and cook for 4 min, until soft and translucent but not coloured.

   Add in this stepButter 25 gOnion, very finely chopped 25 g

   medium-low heat

2. Add the jamón and stir for 30 seconds, then tip in all the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 2 min, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The flour should absorb all the butter and smell toasty, which cooks out the raw taste; move on before it browns.

   Add in this stepJamón serrano (Spanish cured ham) 50 gPlain flour 30 g

   medium-low heat

3. Add the warm milk a ladleful at a time, stirring hard with a whisk or spoon to dissolve any lumps. When it is all in, raise the heat to medium heat and cook for 10 min, stirring nonstop and scraping the corners, as it catches easily. It is ready when very thick: the spoon briefly leaves a clear trail on the bottom and the mass comes away from the pan in one piece. Add the nutmeg, taste, then season with salt; go very easy, as the ham is salty.

   Add in this stepWhole milk, warmed 250 mlGround nutmeg 1 pinchSalt to taste

   medium heat

4. Lightly oil a 18×13 cm dish, spread the mixture in it and press cling film directly onto the surface so no skin forms. Let it cool a little, then refrigerate for at least 4 h, ideally overnight. It must be completely cold to hold its shape.

5. Beat the egg in one bowl and put the breadcrumbs in another. Using two spoons or lightly oiled hands, take 25–30 g pieces of the set mixture (walnut-sized) and roll them into short cylinders, about 5 per serving. Roll each in breadcrumbs, then in egg, then in breadcrumbs again, covering it completely; any gap will burst open in the oil.

   Add in this stepEgg 1Fine dried breadcrumbs 50 g

6. Pour oil into a 18 cm deep pot to a depth of 4–5 cm (no more than a third full) and heat over medium-high heat for 6 min to 180 °C. Without a thermometer, drop in a few crumbs: they should sizzle and rise at once. Water makes hot oil spit, so dry your hands and tools, and never leave the pot unattended.

   Add in this stepSunflower or other neutral oil, for frying 500 ml

   medium-high heat

7. Carefully lower in 5 croquetas at a time (2×5) and fry for 2 min, turning now and then, until deep golden all over; lift out onto kitchen paper. Crowding cools the oil and makes them burst, so fry in batches and let the oil return to 180 °C each time. The centres are scalding: wait 1–2 minutes before eating.