Traditional croquettes with a modern twist: Elevating the dinner table

Do croquettes only remind you of Christmas Eve borscht? Mine are so delicious that my family asks me to prepare them much more often. They can be eaten even for dinner with garlic or tomato sauce and a salad. The key is flexible pancakes and delicious filling.

Croquettes are a simple dish but require some work. However, it is easy to spread the workout over time. Pancakes can be prepared much earlier; then, you need to make the filling. Wrapping and frying come last.

The secret to my croquettes is perfect pancakes. They hold the filling nicely and do not fall apart during frying. Moreover, they are not thick at all. Pancakes for croquettes should be thin and flexible. No changes are needed in the pancake batter recipe; instead, precision in its preparation and then frying is what counts.

• First, I beat the eggs and then add the flour, water, and milk. The batter should not be too thin. I mix it well to avoid lumps.
• After preparing the batter, I place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Cooling has a good effect on the gluten in the flour. Pancakes made from such batter are more stretchy and won't tear. The batter can be stored in a glass, tightly closed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• I fry the pancakes with a small amount of fat, greasing the pan every 3 pancakes. A silicone kitchen brush is helpful for this.
• I use a flat pan for frying, but not one precisely for pancakes. What's more important is that it is well-heated. If the pan is too cold, the batter will not set quickly enough and will stick and burn.

For the pancake batter:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour,
• 2 eggs,
• 2 cups milk or a mix of milk and water,
• 2 tablespoons oil, preferably canola,
• a pinch of salt.

For the filling:

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of mushrooms,
• 2 onions,
• 115 grams of shredded yellow cheese,
• 3 tablespoons butter (clarified butter can be used),
• salt and pepper to taste.

For the coating:

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs,
• 2 tablespoons flour,
• half a cup of bread crumbs,
• oil for frying.

Preparation:

1. Thoroughly blend all the pancake batter ingredients. Let the batter sit in the fridge for about half an hour.
2. Fry thin pancakes in a heated pan without any oil or with a small amount.
3. Prepare the filling. Clean and chop the mushrooms, dice the onions, and fry everything in a heated pan with a teaspoon of butter. The water should evaporate from the mushrooms, making them thick.
4. Season the filling to taste. Once it cools, mix it with the cheese.
5. Put the cooled mixture on the pancakes and roll them to make croquettes.
6. Coat them lightly in flour, then in beaten egg, and finally in bread crumbs. Fry them in hot oil.