This traditional dutch recipe has a individual twist in most dutch households. So easy with a Thermomix, be patient, it takes a while but worth it. Using left over meats or the cheaper cuts of beef makes it cost effective. This recipe is a base recipe & can be added to. There really is no fail with this, each batch is individual and no two will ever be the same. My favourite from childhood into parenthood. Swap the beef stock & beef with chicken and chicken stock, try fish, add whatever herbs/spices to taste, a bit of curry too, the combinations are endless.
MEAT BASE Cooking this in the Thermomix would make it harder to separate the gravy from the meat so cook stove top or in slow cooker. Fry the onion until transparent in a heavy based saucepan. Meanwhile sprinkle beef with a small amount of nutmeg, salt and pepper and brown each side in a frying pan. Add the meat to the onion. Pierce bay leaves with cloves and add to the meat mix. Top with enough beef stock to just cover the meat. Simmer gently on the stove top or in crock pot, (covered) until the meat is tender and falling apart. (Stovetop 2-3 hours or in crock pot 6-8 hrs). Discard the bay leaves and cloves. Remove meat, reserving the gravy, and allow both to cool. You need to have 600ml of liquid to make the roux so top the gravy up with extra beef stock if required.
SHREDDING THE MEAT Place parsley in the Thermomix bowl and chop on Sp 7 for 5 seconds. Add meat and shred for 5-10 seconds / Sp 4 / or until you are happy with the texture... it should appear stringy and textured... you don't want to turn it into a paste! Place the shredded meat & parsley into a large bowl and set it aside.
MAKING THE ROUX (sauce) & RAGOUT Add butter to the Thermomix bowl and heat at 100° / 3 mins / Sp 2 (make sure butter is completely melted and hot). Add flour and mix on 100° / 3-4 mins / Sp 4 (cooking it for this long removes the floury taste). Now with the MC off and the blades turning at 100° / 10 mins / Sp 3 slowly add the combined gravy and stock (about 1/2 a cup at a time) until the roux looks thick and smooth (you may not need to use all the stock) and then continue to cook until the timer is finished. Add 150g of shredded meat & parsley to the roux and mix on Sp 4 / 1 min. It will now look like a very smooth mixture with a slight brown colour. Pour this mixture into the bowl containing the remaining shredded meat. Stir by hand to combine and season to taste with salt & pepper and refrigerate (covered in plastic wrap) for 2 hours before rolling (or overnight). This is your ragout.
ROLLING. Get yourself 3 large, shallow bowls and fill one with the flour, one with beaten egg and the last one with breadcrumbs. You will also need a plate lined with baking paper for the finished product. Using your hands, form either sticks (10cm x 3cm, about 60g - croquettes) diameter, about from the ragout mix. Coat them all in flour, ready for the egg and crumbs. Now, one by one, dip the floured croquette in egg (using your LEFT hand only!) and then bread crumbs (using only your RIGHT hand!); then returned to the egg (with your left hand) and finally into the bread crumbs once again (with your right hand). Your hands will stay a lot cleaner and lighter if you remember to use the correct hands in each bowl. Your croquettes should be returned to the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to cooking or alternatively you could freeze them (with baking paper in between layers to make it easier to separate later) at this stage to cook at some time in the future.
TO COOK: Preheat the deep fryer to 180°C. Deep fry the croquettes for 4-6 minutes until golden brown. OR in a air fryer (air frying is much healthier but does loose that "deep fried" taste however still yum). If cooking from frozen longer cooking time is needed.
ENJOY: With fresh salad & served in fresh rolls with mayo and mustard. NOTES: If you don't have a thermomix shred meat by hand & make the sauce on stovetop with a wooden spoon and some good old fashioned patience and stirring. Can be prepared the night before and frozen.
