Quintessential

adjective ultimate, essential, typical, fundamental, definitive, archetypal, prototypical as in: Everybody thinks of him as the quintessential Kamloopsian.

Having less time than usual to prepare holiday Christmas fare, I asked the kids, “What’s the one food item we can’t do without this year?”. Hands down, except for one abstainer, it was my mom’s recipe of Dutch Croquettes. It’s just not really a complete Christmas celebration without them. Even the newest member of our family, my d-i-l Katie, asked for them!

So, how could I say no to that? Even though it is time consuming, taking that very first bite just makes it all worth it!

So, I chop up the veggies and the roast into small pieces. I simmerthe meat for about 3 hours, until it was well done, and easy to shred.

I keep the juices and add enough water back to make the original 3 c. of liquid (a very important step, which determines the consistency of the ‘soup’) Too much or too little liquid added and things can go very wrong from here on.. believe me..I speak from experience.

 

I then add the veggies to the meat and broth, along with some bouillon cubes and veg. soup mix. I stir and let it simmer just until the veggies are done.

  

I chit chat a little with my kitchen companion, Buddy the Cat, who quietly observes the busyness.

Then I melt butter in a pan (yes, I know it’s a lot of butter, but this is a triple recipe). I add flour to the melted butter to make a thick paste, which then gets mixed into the pot of veggie/meat. I stir like crazy until it’s thick, but smooth. At this point, I can’t resist tasting it. Mmmm…

 

I let it cool overnight out on the deck (it’s cold enough, but not cold enough to freeze).

The next day I set out bread crumbs and beaten eggs and begin the process of rolling. Yes, I chose croquette spheres this year. Traditionally, they are logs. Not sure why I chose round over long, but I did. Apparently, some in my family are very particular about shape.

Once rolled (hours later), I set a few aside for our inaugural croquette dinner, pop the remainder in the freezer, and invite the kids over to indulge (except for the abstainer).

I deep fry them for about 5 minutes, and then voila! they are ready to savor. Bliss!

Thanks, Mom, for passing on the family recipe!