What happened to the Rishi Sunak I knew at school?
Takes: 30 minutes, plus chilling
Bakes: No time at all
For the filling
50g butter
80g cured spanish ham, finely diced or sliced
½ leek, finely sliced
75g plain flour
500ml whole milk
50g manchego, grated
For the coating
75g plain flour
2 eggs
75g Panko breadcrumbs
1 litre vegetable oil, for frying
Melt the butter in a medium-sized pan over a low heat, and add the leek and ham, and cook until the leek has softened, but not coloured, and the fat on the ham has melted.
Stir the flour into the butter, ham and leek, until it sizzles and begins to smell nutty. Add the milk, bit by bit, stirring it into the flour, until smooth. Once you’ve added all of the milk, continue cooking the mixture, stirring and scraping the bottom, until the sauce begins to thicken, then stir through the cheese. Keep cooking and stirring until the sauce becomes very, very thick – this will take about fifteen minutes.
Line a 2 pound loaf tin with clingfilm then decant the mixture into the loaf tin, and leave to cool; once it has reached room temperature transfer to the fridge.
Once the mixture is cold and film, use the clingfilm to turn the mixture out onto a chopping board, and peel away the clingfilm. Slice the mixture into cubes about 1.5inches wide and long.
Place the vegetable oil in a large pan, over a medium heat. Exercise caution when deep-frying, keep children and pets out of the way, don’t leave the oil unattended at any point, and never fill a pan more than half way up with oil. Bring up to 180°C, which should take 10-15 minutes.
Crack the eggs into one dish, place the flour into another dish, and the breadcrumbs into a third.
Using only your dominant hand (keep the other hand clean, trust me), dredge a cube through the flour, followed by the egg and, finally, the breadcrumbs – make sure at each stage it is thoroughly coated. Set the coated cubes on a tray, and repeat with the remaining balls.
When the oil is at temperature, fry the coated cubes in batches of 4-5, for 4 minutes, gently turning the balls using a heatproof slotted spoon, until they are golden brown. Remove from the oil, and place on kitchen paper to drain. Repeat with remaining croquetas, and serve hot.
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