Croquettes, Cromesquis, and Rissoles

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 85, Issue 3, 15 September 1952, Page 262

Croquettes, Cromesquis, and Rissoles

CROQUETTES, cromesquis, and rissoles are all essentially the same. They are made from a mixture of cooked foods which have been blended thoroughly, shaped, and fried. Left-over meat and vegetables can be made into one of these and served for lunch, tea, or even breakfast with eggs or bacon or a highly flavoured sauce. Among the sauces most commonly used are tomato for fish, mutton, chicken, and rabbit croquettes, mustard or horse-radish for beef and ham croquettes, and mushroom or onion sauce for vegetable croquettes.

HERE is the basic method for making croquettes, cromesquis, and rissoles; the quantities given make 4 to 6 croquettes: 2 cups of cooked Pepper and cayenne vegetables or minced to taste cooked meat or fish 1 egg or J cup of 1 small onion, milk or thick white minced sauce J teaspoon of salt Mix all the ingredients to as soft a mixture as can be handled conveniently. If the mixture is very dry, more milk may be necessary; if it is very wet, breadcrumbs can be added to make it stiffer. Flour the hands and roll large spoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Then roll them on a floured board and shape them as desired patties, cylinders, cones, cutlet shapes, or, in fact, any shape which can be conveniently handled in frying. Beat an egg with 2 tablespoons of cold water and pour it into a soup plate or enamel pie plate. Roll the croquettes in fine dry breadcrumbs, dip them in the egg and coat them thoroughly, then roll them in the breadcrumbs again; oatmeal or rolled oats may be used instead of breadcrumbs. . If the food is to be deep fried, heat a saucepan of fat. It is at the correct temperature if it will brown a lin. cube of bread in 40 seconds. Lower the croquettes carefully into the fat two or three at a time and move them about in the fat until they are golden brown. Drain them on crumpled paper in a hot oven until they are to be served. If the rissoles, croquettes, or cromesquis are to be fried in shallow fat (sauted), melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat in a pan and when it starts to smoke

put in the rissoles. Fry them until they are golden brown on one side, then turn them and brown the other side. This method is more suitable for patty and cutlet shapes. Recipes Any of the following recipes may be prepared by the basic method. Beef Cromesquis 2 cups of minced i teaspoon of salt roast beef 1 small onion, Pepper and cayenne minced to taste 1 egg Lamb or Mutton Rissoles 2 cups of minced Pepper to taste cooked lamb or 1 small onion, mutton . minced A few leaves of mint, a teaspoon of salt chopped 1 egg ■ Fish Croquettes 2 cups of cooked Pepper and cayenne flaked fish to taste Juice of J lemon 1 cup of thick white 1 teaspoon of salt sauce Vegetable Croquettes 2 cups of mixed Parsley if desired cooked vegetables J cup or less of milk 1 small onion, J. teaspoon of salt minced Pepper to taste Parsnips, carrots, cauliflower, and potato make a good mixture of vegetables, but any others can be used. The amount of milk used depends on the wetness of the vegetable mixture. Veal and Ham Croquettes II cups of minced J' teaspoon of salt cooked veal Tepper and cayenne 1 cup of minced to taste cooked ham 1 small onion, 1 egg minced

NELL MACPHERSON,

Field Officer in Rural Sociology, Department of Agriculture, Auckland