These crispy Spanish croquetas (croquettes) have a delicious, velvety filling and are served with a smoky, garlicky dipping sauce.
Yesterday on my birthday, I received a great birthday surprise- my recipe for Serrano Ham and Manchego Croquetas with Smoked Pimenton Aioli was chosen as a finalist in this week's recipe contest on the website Food52! For those of you who are not familiar with the site, Food52 is a wonderful site for home cooks that was started by accomplished food writers and editors Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. They started the site with the belief that the best recipes come from home cooks and they envisioned the site to be a way for talented home cooks to "show off their work, a place where cooks of all levels come to be inspired and to be part of a constructive and supportive community."
Every week they hold recipe contests on the site and two finalists are selected. Then all of the members vote on their favorite recipe. Besides winning some cool prizes, the winner gets their recipe published in the Food52 cookbook! I was fortunate to have three of my recipes published in their first cookbook. Then yesterday I found out that another one of my recipes was chosen as one of the two finalists (out of 173 entries) in this week's contest for "Your Best One-Bite Party Snack."
My recipe for Serrano Ham and Manchego Croquetas with Smoked Pimenton Aioli was inspired by the wonderful trip to Spain that my husband Pete and I took last year for our anniversary. We ate our way around the country and tasted a countless number of tapas, the typical small plates or snacks found in Spanish cuisine. Although we loved all of the food, our favorite indulgence was the croqueta- a Spanish croquette filled with a delicious creamy filling and served with a garlicky dipping sauce on the side.
My version of Spanish croquetas uses classic Spanish flavors including Serrano ham and Manchego cheese. And to dip the crispy bites into, I make an easy aioli using Pimenton de la Vera, a delicious Spanish smoked paprika which gives the aioli a lovely color.
UPDATE:
I'm so excited that my recipe won and is going to be published in the upcoming Food52 cookbook! You can check out the recipe on the food52 site HERE.
Jana ★ says
Fabuloso!!!!!!
I have felt in love with your blog and recipes.
I'm spanish and very proud of your fantastic recipe!!
I invite you to visit my blog it has a google traslator and lots of spanish, easy and yummies recipe.
un besito ^^
Jana
hppt://janakitchen.blogspot.com
sonaliruder says
I just shared this recipe on Katherine Martinelli's Appetizer and Party Food blog hop:
http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2012/an-appetizer-round-up-and-your-best-party-recipes-blog-hop/
Ally says
You are sooooooooo amazing! I'm thinking I might use these, too, for a gig I'm doing w/the retail store, Anthropologie...they're exquisitely global and very Boho! Thanks for sharing w/Chef Gary, too! xo Ally
Ann says
So fabulous, Sonali! I saw these over at Sumptuous Spoonfuls and had to come see them up close: ) I could pop about 10 of them right now! I had the pleasure of living in Spain for a semester while in college. Would love to return some day and eat my way around the country like you and Pete did!
sonaliruder says
Thanks, Ann! These would go great with a glass of your sangria! 🙂
Yvette Filanc says
I just came across your recipe and i'm really excited to try it out. I live in spain and have for many years....a couple thoughts that you might enjoy playing with:
my mother in law always starts her croquetas with a small amount of chopped onion and garlic in the oil/butter combo of the white sauce "bechamel"...i adopted this right away and it gives a fantastic flavor without the need of adding too much else. Also, a cousin of my husband makes her ham croquetas by adding the ham in the oil at the begininning as well...when i've made her recipe, it's been amazing--the extra flavor is really fantastic.
i saw the comment about freezing! We make them here completely except for frying, put them on a freezer-ok plate with oven paper or something non-stick underneath...and so they don't touch each other. They freeze up individually, then we put them in a bag or tupperware to keep in freezer. Then when you just want one, you take it out and fry it up!
Ah and one last thing, I have celiacs disease and I make my croquetas now with corn flour--it's a little sweeter but lovely--i have yet to try with rice.
happy cooking!
sonaliruder says
Thanks for your comment Yvette! Great idea to add garlic and onion in the beginning. When I've made these with spinach instead of ham, I sauté the spinach first with garlic and onion and it does add great flavor. Also, thanks for the tip on freezing- since the croquettes do take a little time to make, it would be nice to make extra and freeze them for a rainy day! Have not tried them with corn flour but it sounds like a nice variation.
Lynda - TasteFood says
Congratulations on our win, Sonali! I have these filed for our next gathering.
ur says
Congratulations Sonali, for coming out to be the finalist and what a gift for your birthday!!