RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Lita Lotzkar Side: Meat & Potato Croquettes - meat
by Joni Schockett Most of America's Jewish population comes from Ashkenazi, or eastern European heritage. Ashkenazi Jews do not eat rice or legumes on Passover, but our Sephardic neighbors, who originally came from Iberia and the Middle Eastern countries, do eat these items on Passover. The Sephardic tradition is rich in exotic spices and deep, earthy flavors that are a little bit different from what Ashkenazi Jews are used to. I thought you might enjoy some traditional Sephardic dishes to spice up your Seder table this year. While some people believe that if you are not of Sephardic heritage, you can't decide to eat rice and beans at the Seder, others believe that it is fine to do so. In any case, you can certainly add these delicious recipes to your everyday fare. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sephardic Meat and Potato Croquettes (Meat) Preparation Time: 40 minutes Frying Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: Filling: 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 2 medium yellow onions, minced 1 pound extra lean ground meat 2 grated hard boiled eggs (chopped fine is OK) 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped 3/4 tsp. salt 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper OPTIONAL: add 1/4 tsp. cinnamon for a Moroccan touch OR add 1/4 tsp. turmeric for an Iraqi touch add 1/2 cup cooked Basmati rice Dough: 1-1/2 pounds potatoes (about 5 large) 1/3 cup matzah meal 1 large egg and 1 egg white 3/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 clove garlic, crushed Boil a large pot of water. Add the peeled, cut up potatoes and cook until soft. Set aside to cool. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the chopped onion and sauté vegetables until translucent. Add the meat and cook until it loses its red color. Stir to break the meat into little pieces. Remove from heat, add the eggs and spices and stir. Add any optional ingredients at this time. Set aside to cool. Drain and mash the potatoes. Add the eggs and matzah meal and mix thoroughly. Let sit for about two minutes to thicken. Moisten hands and scoop up about two tablespoons of the potato mixture. Form a ball and push a hole into the center of it with your finger. Fill the cavity with some of the meat mixture and close the hole. Heat about two inches of oil in a heavy frying pan over medium high heat. When the heat is at about 375 degrees, (a small cube of bread will turn golden in 30 seconds at 375 degrees) add the croquettes in small batches cooking about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Turn the croquettes very gently, but do not turn them until you see that they have begun to turn brown or they may fall apart. Adapted from The World of Jewish Cooking, by Gil Marks
