Did somebody say cow lips?...

Croquettes are a dish that you can find all over Spain. This is good to know, because when you are offered cow lips you can say "Gracias, yo preferio las croquetas..." A croquette is a breaded ball of thick bechamel which has been deep fried. In Spain, the most common are jamón serrano, cheese, fish, and boiled ham with hard boiled egg. You can add whatever you like. It´s a great way to get rid of leftovers. The following is made with meat I had leftover from some garbanzos I had made.
I used;
1/4 onion (finely chopped)
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)

1/2 kilo of boiled meat (finely shredded)
olive oil
7 soup spoons of flour (not heaping, and not leveled- something in between, really, your bechamel will come out perfect)
3/4 to 1 liter of whole milk
2 beaten eggs
bread crumbs
more flour
salt
black pepper

Fry onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add a little more oil and the meat. Heat meat for about a minute and then add the flour. Stir for about another minute and then start adding the milk, a little bit at a time. Don´t stop stirring. The bechamel will start to thicken. Season to taste and keep stirring. When it thickens, remove from the heat and pour the bechamel into a baking dish. Let cool completely.


When the bechamel has cooled, scoop with a soup spoon and roll into balls. Wet your hands first with water, so they don´t stick. Now roll first in the flour, then the beaten egg, and then the bread crumbs.


Heat olive oil in a pan on medium to high and deep fry your croquettes. They are ready when they are golden brown.


Croquettes with meat and onions...done...