It's easy to start buying or canning food and putting it in the pantry. Sometimes we just buy beans and wheat and other supplies and just don't know what to do with them. One of the easiest things to make from food storage is croquettes. Almost every country has their own form of croquette and they can be made out of a huge variety of foods.
First, what IS a croquette? It is simply a formed patty of ingredients that are then breaded and usually fried in oil. They can be made into the shape of a small log or a pear shape as well. Depending on cultures the ingredients can be made from anything and food storage items are perfect for making them. They can be held in the hand to eat so they don't require a bunch of dirty dishes when water for washing plates and forks is running short or you don't want to accumulate paper plates which need burning or burying. They are also portable for people who are out working and may not have time to stop for a sit down meal.
I will try to explain some of the different ways that they can be made and hopefully it will become easy to see that you could make them entirely different every day for a whole different flavor and less food fatigue.
Some croquettes have the ingredients all mixed into one bowl. Others are made from a filling and something that encases the filling. The easiest is the kind that are made in one bowl.
A common croquette is made of salmon and is often called a salmon patty made from canned salmon. If you don't know how to make them they are very easy. Remove the salmon from the can, drain and if you like you can remove the skin and bones. Some people leave them in but I prefer to remove them. They can be as basic or as involved as you want. Mix the meat with as many or as few if the following ingredients: chopped onions, chopped peppers, chopped celery, parsley, grated cheese, diced carrots or green peas. You get the idea. Any of those items can be taken from your canned or dehydrated food storage or a mixture of the two. You can rehydrate the dried vegetables in the liquid from the can as well. After everything is mixed and you add the seasonings you like from your storage then you will need to add one or two eggs and either bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, cornflakes, flour, cornmeal or some other dry ingredient which will mix with the eggs and vegetables and bind the whole mixture together. It should be firm enough to hold together when you form the mixture with your hands.
After they are formed then you can fry them as they are or you can bread them first. Dredge them in flour or cornstarch, then an egg wash or milk or water or some other wet substance/sauce if your pantry doesn't contain eggs or milk then roll them in breadcrumbs. You can use dried rehydrated egg powder and milk or canned milk if you don't have fresh. Now you just need to fry them in oil in a pan or spritz them with oil and bake them on a lightly greased pan flipping them once in the oven. Serve them with whatever you want including a foraged green weed salad.
Now you have the basics and you can begin to try the same concept with other ingredients. You can use any home canned, store bought or fresh ground meat to make a croquette. Try it with crab, tuna, mackerel, rabbit, chicken, ham, shrimp, crawdads, fresh caught fish, beef, pork, bacon, deer or whatever other kind of meat you have.
You can also make it without meat at all. Make one from beans, wheat, or other grains. Use canned or cook some from dried storage. Seasoning is the key to making vegetable croquettes. You can also use grated potatoes, mashed Potatoes, dried hash browned potatoes that you rehydrate, corn, cooked rice, grits or any other cooked grains. You can add any other vegetables that you have canned or dried. In place of the egg wash try mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayo, jelly, sweet and sour or any sticky sauce to make the breading stick. Try to match the sauce to whatever ingredients are in your croquette. Like ketchup on a beef and potato croquette or honey mustard on a chicken croquette. Normally you just use the egg and milk mixture but you may have to work with what you have one day.
There is also a filled croquette that is easy to make. You have to first cook potatoes, rice or grains to form the outer portion. You can boil your potatoes and then peel and grate or you can rehydrate some hash browns. You can also use dried mashed potatoes if that all you have available. Mix your rice or potatoes with an egg, grated cheese and spices to season. You can sauté some onions and garlic and mix it in. Then create your filling from canned meat, dried or canned vegetables, an egg yolk and seasonings. Make it kind of like a thick chili consistency.
Here is a traditional one. Boil potatoes in the skin. Peel and press through a ricer. Mix potatoes with two eggs, grated cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. set aside to cool. In the meantime, brown some ground beef with onions and seasonings. Add in some fresh, canned or rehydrated green peas. Mix in two egg yolks and some bread crumbs and grated cheese plus some Italian seasoning. Now take some of the cooled potato mixture and press it out on your palm in a thin layer. Place a spoonful of filling on top. Begin to work the potato mixture in you palm around the meat mixture adding some from the bowl until the meat is completely incased. Form into a log, a patty or a small pear shape and set aside until you complete them all. Now dip the croquettes in flour or corn starch to coat. Then dip in a beaten egg/milk mixture and roll in the bread crumbs. When all of them are ready begin frying them in oil until golden brown. They can also be baked on a greased cookie sheet turning halfway through.
Another traditional one is made the same as above but instead of potato you cook a sticky rice and mix with the cheese, eggs and seasonings. Prepare the rest much the same one using whatever inside mixture you have to work with.
The last way to make croquettes is by making a roux (pronounced roo). Start by browning your meat. Add some butter and melt it in the pan. Sprinkle flour on top and continue cooking until all the flour is absorbed and cooks through. Slowly add milk and continue stirring and cooking adding a bit more until your mixture forms a dough that pulls away from the bottom of the pan. (You tube is your friend if you need help with this) Remove from the heat and mix in your vegetables and cheese. Then set aside to cool. Form your croquettes and coat them just like the ones above then fry or bake.
When you make a croquette you will find that they are smooth and creamy hot on the inside and crispy on the outside. Hopefully, you will be able to pull a bit of this and a bit of that from the pantry and make a meal that you will actually enjoy eating rather then plain beans and rice every day. Think about the combinations and possibilities and you can create some truly fabulous meals all with basic dried and canned food.
Southern Wood Elf