Filipino Chorizo Croquetas for Kulinarya Cooking Club

Voting is now open, for Project Food Blog challenge #1, until 6PM PST on Sept 23, 2010. Please use this link to vote. Thank you very much! :)



Finger food = Happiness. Really, nothing like dipping a nice deep fried tidbit into sauce, biting into the succulent sauce drenched part, savoring the warmth and flavor and repeating the process without a care for double dipping etiquette ;-). But, the best part is licking your fingers when the plate is cleaned out and reliving the flavors in those tiny remnants... :)

This weekend, I threw caution and all morbid thoughts of the weighing scale to the winds and unwound at home with plates of nice fried food. Some spicy Indian and some intensely Spanish influenced but with the Asian twist. And, in just perfect timing for this month's Kulinarya theme which was to make Filipino-Spanish dishes. Thanks to Ziggy from My Filipino Kitchen and AC from Acdee for this wonderful theme.



I have to say, when I first saw the theme I was bit stumped. I had decided that I didn't want to make sweet dishes for this challenge and that left me with a lot of research to do and much looking around and learning about the cuisine, which, I suspect was the intention of the theme-givers! :)

I shortlisted quite a few dishes. I mean the list of Spanish influenced dishes in Filipino cuisine is long indeed. That is just the ones that perhaps are more common and don't have very Filipinised names. I wonder at how many savor on behind the cloak of ethnic names!



Anyway, after musing much over Adobo, Estofado, Bicol Express and so many more mouthwatering dishes, I finally settled on making the Filipino version of Spanish Croquettes. My reasons were two fold - one I was already itching towards making something fried after almost a year of abstinence on that regard and two - we had tasted bacalau croquettes in Brazil and loved them despite my abhorrence of dried fish.

So, in a quest to relive memories, satiate desire and fulfill a challenge, I made my version of Filipino Chorizo Croquetas! The Filipino version is distinctive in using a mix of potatoes and meat for the filling rather than the Béchamel sauce used in Spanish versions. My interpretation uses both taters and sauce in the filling. It's a simple to make and a delight to keep on eating :))

Also, as I mentioned in the previous post I am participating in the Project Food Blog contest organized by FoodBuzz. Voting for the first challenge is open until 6 pm PST on Sep 23, 2010. You can read my entry post here. Please do visit my contestant profile and vote for me if you believe I am a strong contender.








Filipino Chorizo Croquetas



2-3 medium yukon potatoes, boiled
2 chorizo links, casing removed
1/2 large spanish onion, diced fine
2 cloves of garlic, mined
3 T Béchamel sauce (I used the sausage renderings for the fat to add flavor)
1 cup bread crumbs
salt, pepper and oil as needed
Oil for frying

In a little oil, saute the onions and garlic until softened. Add the ground chorizo and cook until done. Season appropriately. Let cool until you can work with it.

Meanwhile, mash the boiled potatoes into small chunks. Add the cooled meat mixture to it and incorporate well. It will be a flaky mixture. Add the Béchamel sauce and about 3 tablespoons cup of breadcrumbs and combine well. The mixture will still be slightly wet.

Heat the oil in the frying pan to 350F. When ready, shape the croqueta filling into cylinders and roll in bread crumbs to coat completely. Fry in oil until golden brown all over.

Serve with spiced Béchamel sauce and ketchup!


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Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining the Kulinarya Cooking Club, please leave a comment in this post. Also, check out the KCC Facebook page for news, updates and to browse through what everyone in the club created this month.