Spiced Lamb Croquettes & Romesco

Name: Spiced Lamb Croquettes & Romesco
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 700g boneless lamb breast cut into 2-inch pieces; 10 dried apricots; 500g of lamb or chicken stock; 2tsp Ras el Hanout spice mix; 200ml white wine; 1 tin of chopped tomatoes; 1tsp salt; Half a teaspoon each of ground cumin; coriander; paprika and turmeric; A thumb sized piece of ginger; grated; 1 bunch coriander; chopped; 1 small bowl of flour; 2 eggs; whisked; A small bowl of Japanese breadcrumbs; 1 tin of roasted red peppers; 100g almonds; toasted (smoked almonds would work well in this recipe too); 50ml extra virgin olive oil; 2 cloves of garlic; finely minced; 1tsp smoked paprika; Half a red chilli; deseeded and finely chopped; Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 hours

Total Time

15 minutes

Prep Time

1 hour 45 minutes

Cook Time

Feeds

These croquettes are a great snack to eat with a beer watching your favourite sport or even with drinks before a dinner party. Be sure to make these a day in advance.

Ingredients

700g boneless lamb breast cut into 2-inch pieces

10 dried apricots
500g of lamb or chicken stock

2tsp Ras el Hanout spice mix
200ml white wine
1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1tsp salt
Half a teaspoon each of ground cumin, coriander, paprika and turmeric
A thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
1 bunch coriander, chopped
For the croquettes

1 small bowl of flour
2 eggs, whisked

A small bowl of Japanese breadcrumbs
Romesco

1 tin of roasted red peppers
100g almonds, toasted (smoked almonds would work well in this recipe too)
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1tsp smoked paprika
Half a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method:

Place all the ingredients, except the coriander, into an appropriately sized pot with a lid. Bring it to a simmer and gently cook for 1.5-2 hours until the meat is tender and the apricots have cooked down into the sauce.

Remove the lid and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced and the pan is almost dry. You need to make sure that the mixture is incredibly thick or else they will burst apart when fried later.

Remove the mix from the pan and spread it out on a large plate or tray. Cover the surface with cling film and allow the mixture to cool until it is okay to handle.

Shred meat into fine pieces and remove any large chunks of fat in the process.

Mix in the chopped coriander and shape the mix into 12 patties.

Put them into the fridge and let them chill and set for a couple of hours.

To finish the croquettes, lightly coat them in the flour followed by the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Keep them in the fridge until required.

Deep fry the croquettes in oil at 180˚C/350˚F until golden brown and crispy on the outside, for about 2 minutes. To ensure they are ready, insert the tip of a knife into the centre to ensure they are piping hot.

For the romesco:

Blitz all the ingredients together in a kitchen blender. It’s nice to keep some texture from the almonds so don’t blend it too much. Season with a little salt and the zest & juice of the lemon.

Ingredients