Egg Free Ham and Chorizo Croquettes are one of our favourites – we can’t have them in restaurants due to our egg allergy so we’ve had to make them at home. We love adding Chorizo…frying the Chorizo with the onions releases all the fat and the flavour permeates through the béchamel beautifully. Crispy on the outside, soft and flavourful on the inside, these are a great starter.
The trick is to cook the Béchamel long enough in the pan that it goes thick and glossy. Its easy to take it off too early, and then you have a dough that is too soft. It needs to be a consistency that can be rolled easily, even before it’s chilled. That means cooking the sauce for a good 20 minutes on a low heat. Then pop into the fridge to chill for 3-4 hours.
If you like, add in 1/2 Tsp of Paprika into the pan when you fry the Chorizo.
When coating the Egg Free Ham and Chorizo Croquettes egg placer works really well. I like to crush up the Panko breadcrumbs so there aren’t any big chunks and I prefer a more uniform coating. I also like to add a bit of Cornflour to the seasons flour for the first coating before frying. It’s a bit messy – dipping in flour, then egg replacer, and then rolling in breadcrumbs but it’s worth mess!
Egg Free Ham and Chorizo Croquettes
Ingredients
- 1/2 Finely Chopped Onion
- 3/4 Cup Plain Flour
- 1 1/2 Cups Dairy Free Milk
- 1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
- 4 Tbsp Chopped Chorizo
- 6 Slices Parma Ham (or other Spanish Ham)
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
- Salt and Pepper
Coating
- 1 Cup Plain Flour with 1 Tbsp of Corn Flour mixed in
- 3 'Eggs' Egg Replacer - as per the instructions - make 3 'eggs' worth. I like the ones that make scrambled eggs for this type of recipe.
- 1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs - I like to crunch them up a bit so they are more even than what comes out of the box
Instructions
- In a pan, fry the onion in a bit of oil. Then add in the Chorizo and fry until the Chorizo releases some lovely fat.
- Add in the Parma Ham and mix. Then add in the flour and stir while it cooks. Season with Pepper and a bit of Salt (it doesn't need much). It will take a few minutes for the flour to change colour.
- Mix the stock with the milk and start adding slowly to the flour mixture. Whisk as you go. Don't add more liquid until everything has been absorbed fully. The process will take a good 20 minutes. Set a timer so you don't rush it.
- The dough will be thick and glossy and hold it's shape when you scoop some up with a teaspoon. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
- When you are ready to fry, put the egg replacer in a bowl, and the flour and the breadcrumbs on plates. Season the flour.
- Scoop some of the dough up with a teaspoon and shape into a log, then dip in the flour, dip in the egg replacer and roll in the breadcrumbs. Place each one on a plate and continue until you have used all the dough.
- Add vegetable oil to a wide based frying pan - about 2 cups worth. Heat the oil until a cube of bread fries quickly in a few minutes or until the oil is 350°F, or 175℃. Lower the croquettes into the oil with a slotted spoon and cook for 5-7 minutes. You will need to carefully turn them so they get nice and crispy on all sides. Drain on paper towel while you continue cooking the entire batch.
- You can cook half the batch, and leave the rest for the next day in the fridge if you like.
Some other great Egg Free starters:
