When we think of Spain, the first thing that comes to mind is a cold glass of sangria couple with a tasty tapas board. Here we are making the popular tapas dish of ham croquettes.

Method

1. Melt the butter and oil in a medium sized pan. add the onion and saute until translucent.
2. Add the diced ham and saute for a minute, add flour and continuously stir until the flour starts to turn light brown.
3. When the flour starts to change colour, gradually add the milk and stir constantly to prevent  any lumps. Let this cook until the consistency of a thick béchamel sauce is reached.
4. Season the mixture, then grease a medium bowl with oil, add the mixture and cover the cling film making sure the cling film touches the mix as this will prevent a skin forming on it.
5. Let the mix rest in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours but preferably overnight.
6. The mix is now firm enough to use. To make the croquettes, shape the mixture into small logs, do this by rolling a small handful of the mixture between your hands.
7. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan, in the meantime start the breading process.
8. Firstly whisk the eggs into a bowl. Roll the croquettes carefully in flour dusting off any excess, then into the egg mixture and finally into the breadcrumbs.
9. Once the oil has reached 160ºC, start adding croquettes and fry them until they are golden in colour. Careful not to overcrowd the pan as this can bring the temperature of the oil down and make your croquettes greasy. Serve with some garlic aioli or fresh tomato sauce.