Croquetes de carne - Portuguese Meat Croquets

As I had brought it up in a previous post about this recipe, what I like about making them is the fact that all I am using is leftovers. So next time you are about to toss that tiny little leftover of meat that was left from dinner, freeze it instead with all of its juices. Once you have enough different types of leftover meats, you can finally put them to good usage by making these croquets. Again a BIG kudos to my teen and Miss Smiley for the beautiful presentations.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups of ground presunto
4 cups beef
5 cups of smoked turkey
4 cups of chicken
6 cups of pork
2 large onions
8 cloves garlic
For the Béchamel
2 bars of salted butter
4 cups of flour
10 cups of milk
For frying
3 to 5 eggs
fine breadcrumbs
oil to fry

DIRECTIONS

1. Thaw all of the meats them grind them
2. Make the Béchamel sauce by first melting the butter in a large pot, then adding the flour and mixing well until all well mixed together. Add all at once the milk and stir constantly until you create a nice smooth cream
3. Add the meats and adjust with seasonings to taste
4. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes
5. Remove it from heat, let it cool then place it in the fridge overnight
6. Next day in the first bowl beat the eggs, in the second add the breadcrumbs
7. Create 2" "tubes" with the meat paste, then pass them through eggs then the breadcrumbs and place them neatly in a tray to freeze them for an hour or so
8. Once frozen, you can immediately fry them, or put them in freezer bags to be fried at a later date