"Dutch cuisine / Nederlandse keuken consists of the cooking traditions and practices from the Netherlands. The country's cuisine is shaped by the practice of fishing and farming, including the cultivation of the soil for raising crops and the raising of domesticated animals, and the history of the Netherlands. Traditionally, Dutch cuisine is simple and straightforward, with many vegetables and little meat; breakfast and lunch are typically bread with toppings while dinner is meat and potatoes, supplemented with seasonal vegetables. Without many refinements, it is best described as rustic, though many holidays are still celebrated with special foods."
Sara had given us some awesome choices including the Dutch Butter Cake, which I had a hard time trying to push myself down from making it. I am definitely going to make this when I get a chance but this time, I chose this recipe, which was so close to the Chicken Croquettes recipe I shared some time back. I was very curious to know how these croquettes would taste. Let me tell you, apart from the time it takes, if you manage your time, this is a breeze to make. I made the mixture the previous day night and then fried them the next evening for tea time. I had a couple of them along with some vegetable biriyani and they were perfect. Off to the way I made it...
Bitterballen ~ Dutch Beef Croquettes
Serves 4 (Made 20)
Recipe adapted from here
Ingredients:
For the beef:
500 gm boneless beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup water
For the mixture:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
50 gm butter
1/2 cup flour
A pinch nutmeg
For coating:
All purpose flour
Egg and chilled water mixture
Breadcrumbs
Method:
Wash the beef well and drain. Add the beef, water with sufficient salt and pepper and cook till done. I pressure cooked it for 5 whistles. Allow to cool completely. Drain the cooked beef out and grind it in the blender. Set aside. Measure out the beef broth and keep it aside. I got almost 400 ml broth. Set aside.
In a frypan, heat the olive oil. Saute the onion till translucent. Add the beef and cook for a couple of minutes.
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and mix well to form a paste like. Slowly add the beef broth and keep stirring till it combines well and starts to thicken. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring in between. Add the beef onion saute and mix well to combine. Add in the nutmeg, adjust salt and pepper to your taste. Cook on low flame for a couple of minutes.
Allow the mixture to cool completely. Empty into a shallow pan and keep refrigerated for a couple of hours till well set.
Take out the mixture from the fridge. Roll out into meduim sized balls. Dip into all purpose flour, then into the egg mixture and finally roll them into the breadcrumbs.
Heat oil sufficient to deep fry in a frying pan. Fry in batches of 4 till golden brown. Serve warm!
Notes:
Since I didn't have any parsley, I skipped it in the mixture. If you have it, then chop and add a couple of tablespoons of it while making the mixture.