Thursday, September 22, 2011

Carrot and apricot croquettes and a little white lie

Carrot and apricot croquettes / Croquetes de cenoura e damasco

I might be a cookbook junkie but certain cookbooks don’t appeal to me – I would never buy this book, for example. Never. I hate the idea of deceiving kids in order to make them eat veggies and fruit. They should eat good food and be aware of that. They should know what beetroots and carrots and eggplants look and taste like. That’s how my mom fed me as a kid and how I fed my sister when she was little.

But life is full of surprises and I ended up marrying a picky eater. Yes, go ahead and laugh now. :)
Therefore, when he asked me which ingredients there were in these croquettes, I lied. I LIED, people. I did not tell him there were dried apricots in it. No, sir. Just plain carrots and a pinch of herbs. Nothing more.

I probably should feel guilty for lying to him but I do not. He ate several croquettes and said they were delicious. I guess I’ll keep on lying about ingredients – hell, I might even turn it into an Olympic sport. :D

Carrot and apricot croquettes
slightly adapted from the always delicious and beautiful Australian Gourmet Traveller

650g carrots (about 5 medium), peeled and coarsely chopped
90g day-old white breadcrumbs
5 dried apricots, finely diced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons flaked almonds
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 egg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
breadcrumbs, extra, for rolling the croquettes
2 tablespoons olive oil, for shallow-frying

Steam carrot in a steamer over a saucepan of boiling water until tender (20-25 minutes). Transfer to a bowl, mash to a smooth purée, add the breadcrumbs, apricots, spring onions, almonds, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, egg, season to taste and mix to form a soft dough, adding more breadcrumbs if dough is too sticky. Roll 1 ½ leveled tablespoons of mixture into cigar shapes then place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until firm (1-2 hours).
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Heat olive oil in a deep-sided frying pan over medium-high heat. Roll the croquettes in the breadcrumbs, then cook them in the olive oil, in batches, until golden on the outside. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Makes about 25

16 comments:

Mel said...

I loves croquettes alots. Just made some of croquettes few days ago. It is alright to lie as long as he said, it is delicious! I think I will follow this kind of lying thing to those picky eater.

shaz said...

I made a pumpkin and green pea one a few days back. Trying to sneak in the green peas. Green peas on a plate always go untouched, peas in a croquette goes unnoticed. 

pam said...

A little lie now and then never hurt anybody!

eatme_delicious said...

Oo I love the sound of these! With the carrots, herbs and apricots. You definitely wouldn't have to lie to me about the apricots, I'd love to eat them!

Russell at Chasing Delicious said...

My gosh this recipe sounds scrumptious! Great shot too.

Priya Suresh said...

Croquettes looks soo crispy..

Cookie baker Lynn said...

After he ate them, did you confess? He might change his mind, if he knew that he ate them and didn't gag.

Jeanne said...

Carrots and apricots? Well, you got ME intrigued!! These look wonderful - such an unusual combo!

Kelly said...

I noticed you didn't have my favorite cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Cookbook-Katzens-Classic-Cooking/dp/1580081304/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316834931&sr=1-1

It's a lovely vegetarian book that doesn't make a fuss about it.

myfudo said...

I wanna convince myself that these combination will finely work out with each others. Must be twisted with a white lie. Nevertheless the photograph looks interesting, I'm gonna prepare same version as you have here.

April said...

Do you think this could be done entirely on the stovetop? Maybe over a low heat to ensure it gets cooked through before burning? I just moved to a place without an oven and I am looking for more things to cook. I think my husband is getting tired of stir fries.

Gena said...

Wow, looks amazing! Loving all your pictures and recipes. Very impressed.

Patricia Scarpin said...

Lynn, I still haven't told him. :D

April, yes! You can do that on the stove top. Take a look at the original recipe, it might be useful for you:
http://gourmettraveller.com.au/shane-delia-carrot-and-apricot-croquettes-with-garlic-and-lemon-ricotta.htm

Magda said...

Ha, ha. I love your story :) Maybe you should buy this book? ;)

Sonia said...

Today I have prepared these croquettes, but totally baked, not deep fryer, and they were delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Sonia, thank YOU for letting me know how the recipe turned out for you! I'm so glad you liked it!

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