Meat croquettes (Vleescroquetjes)

Traditional recipe from The Netherlands

• 250g lean veal
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• seasoning:
• 1 small onion
• parsley
• bay leaf
• dry bread crumbs
• egg white
• fat (for frying)
• 1/2 package of gelatin
• 2 tbsp of butter or margarine
• 3 tbsp of flour
• 1 cup of veal stock
• salt
• pepper
• lemon juice
• 1 egg yolk

Boil meat in water with seasoning until well done. Cut in very small pieces.

Soak gelatin in some of the cold milk.

Make a sauce of butter, flour and stock, add the gelatin, pepper and salt, lemon to taste and egg yolk. Add the meat.

Spread this mixture onto a shallow dish. Let it cool and set.

When set, cut in 8 equal parts and form a firm cylinder of each.

Roll each in bread crumbs, then in a mixture of beaten egg whites and salad oil, then again in bread crumbs, again in egg white and bread crumbs.

Fry in hot deep fat (400˚ C) until golden brown and serve hot, garnished with with sprigs of parsley that have been fried crisp (but not brown) in the same deep fat. Serve on a platter on absorbing paper.