The croquette is a delicate and crunchy snack that you can find in any restaurant or bar. Mainly, its filling is usually béchamel combined with meat, fish, vegetables, etc. Any ingredient used can be one of the elements to fill croquettes.
We want to take advantage of the moment to mention one of the simple and no less exquisite croquettes from our list, it is a recipe for pumpkin croquettes, since in autumn it is usual to find much more variety of pumpkins in full swing and very good price.
If its pumpkin season and you have a craving, you’ll love this option! Discover how to make easy pumpkin croquettes. You dare?
Ingredients to make Pumpkin Croquettes:
• 300 grams of pumpkin without skin or seeds
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 piece of onion
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch of salt to the point
• 2 tablespoons of common flour
• 1 liter of semi-skimmed milk
• 1 liter of sunflower oil for frying
• 1 jet of oil for soffit
• 1 egg
• 1 package of breadcrumbs with garlic and parsley
How to make Pumpkin Croquettes:
To start these pumpkin and onion croquettes, you will need a very tender and soft pumpkin. Therefore, we suggest you prepare it cooked (although you can also make it roasted in the oven).
We want you to have several options, so if you have a microwave, you can have the squash ready in 10 minutes. Put it in a microwaveable container in small pieces and do not forget to add a glass of water to cook it. You can also use a steamer if you have one.
Tip: you can also cook the pumpkin in a saucepan in small pieces for 20 minutes, pricking to check if it is already soft.
Peel the garlic and onion; chop finely so that there are no large chunks left in the croquette filling. If you prefer, you can also grate or crush according to your taste. Pour oil into the pan and fry the garlic and onion until lightly browned.
Drain the liquid from the pumpkin once cooked and mash with a fork to make the pumpkin puree. Once the sauce is golden, add the pumpkin and stir to mix. Do not leave it for more than 3 minutes and give it a touch of salt to balance the sweet touch of the pumpkin.
Add nutmeg and ground pepper, mix so that the spices are well distributed. Lower the heat to a minimum from this step, because now you have to prepare the béchamel.
To make the béchamel for croquettes, add the flour to the pan. You have to brown it a little so that the flour does not have a raw flavor. Warm the milk to prevent lumps from forming in the dough and, when the flour has been in the pan for 2 minutes, slowly add the milk. Take a small stream and stir like this successively, you will see that it loosens and takes on a different texture. If you see that it needs more milk, add it. Stir without stopping until you see that it detaches from the edges when you remove it, this indicates that it is ready.
Remove the béchamel dough to a wide, flat plate to let it cool; this will ensure that the croquettes can be formed easily and, furthermore, they will not open when fried.
When the béchamel is cold, prepare the breadcrumbs and beat an egg with a pinch of salt, both separately. Take a small portion of round dough, pass it through the egg and then through the breadcrumbs.
Trick: we recommend that you put a plastic wrap on the dough so that the béchamel does not dry out and forms a layer.
Pour the oil into a deep frying pan and, when it is hot, without smoking, add the pumpkin croquettes in batches. Let brown on each side and remove when they are ready, deposit in a source with absorbent paper. You will see that the pumpkin croquettes are crispy and delicious, you can serve immediately with a little mayonnaise, although they do not need anything else.
Pumpkin croquettes – Suggestions and other recipes
As we told you at the beginning, croquettes are very varied and any ingredient used can be used to prepare a unique dish. In addition to pumpkin and onion, you can also make pumpkin and grated cheese croquettes, or make pumpkin and carrot croquettes. For this last option, you will only have to grate the carrot and add it while the filling is cooking.
Also, if you want to make healthy pumpkin croquettes, you can prepare them in the oven to avoid excess oil. You can leave them for about 20 minutes or until they brown at 180 ºC.
