Total fat Saturates Salt Sugar Protein30.4g 3.8g 0.5g 2.3g 9.7gTO MAKE THE BÉCHAMEL
1 Heat the milk with the onion and
peppercorns in a pan over a low
heat until warm, but don’t allow
to boil. Remove from the heat and
allow to infuse for a few minutes.
2 Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan
over a medium-low heat. Add the
flour and cook, stirring, to form
a paste, for 2 minutes. Gradually
begin to add the warm, infused milk,
using a ladle and stirring constantly.
Don’t rush this step as adding the
milk too fast results in a lumpy
béchamel. If this does happen, don’t
worry, just keep stirring until the
lumps break down into the sauce.
When all the milk has been added,
the sauce should be silky smooth,
thick and almost stretchy.
3 Add the nutmeg and salt, then
cook for another 8 minutes, stirring
regularly to prevent it sticking to the
bottom of the pan. Don’t rush this
step, as the béchamel needs to be
very thick in order for it to firm up
enough to roll into balls and fry.
4 Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in
a frying pan over a medium heat,
add the vegetables and sauté until
the mushrooms are just beginning
to brown and the leek is softened,
about 8 minutes.
5 When the béchamel is cooked, stir
in the vegetables and sweet smoked
paprika, if using. Taste and add more
salt, if needed. Pour into a bowl,
cover and allow to cool, then firm
up in the fridge for at least 4 hours,
but ideally overnight.
TO MAKE THE CROQUETAS
1 As long as the béchamel has set, you
can breadcrumb the croquetas up
to an hour before cooking.
2 Heat about 4cm (1½in) olive oil
in a deep heavy-based pan over
a medium heat to 180ºC or until
a cube of day-old bread browns in
30 seconds.3 Remove the béchamel from the
fridge. For the coating, pour the flour
onto a plate, the milk into a bowl
and the panko breadcrumbs on to
another plate.
4 Flour your hands, then scoop
enough of the cold béchamel to
form a cylinder about 6cm (2in)
long and 2cm (1in) wide. Pat it firmly
into shape, then roll gently in the
flour. Briefly dip it in the plant milk
until covered but not soggy, then roll
it in the breadcrumbs, ensuring the
croqueta is well coated.
5 Fry the croqueta to check the oil
is the right temperature. Using a
slotted spoon, carefully lower it into
the hot oil. Deep-fry for 3 minutes,
or until the breadcrumbs are a rich,
deep gold – you may need to nudge
it over to ensure it browns evenly (if
the breadcrumbs burn, the oil is too
hot). Remove with tongs, allowing any
excess oil to go back into the pan.
6 Drain on kitchen paper and keep
warm while you prepare and cook
the rest of the croquetas, cooking
no more than three at a time.
7 Allow to cool for a couple of
minutes before serving, as the
insides will remain extremely hot.
Serve with the sweet smoked
paprika vegan mayo or aioli.
TIP Don’t overcrowd the pan
when you fry the croquetas as this
will lower the temperature of the
oil and make them soggy and greasy.
Allow the oil to come back to 180ºC
for 1-2 minutes between batches.
The croquetas can also be fried in
a mixture of olive oil and neutral
cooking oil, but not coconut oil.
Try frying 100g (¹/ 3 cup) finely diced
smoked tofu or smoky seitan, until
crisp, then add it to the béchamel.Leek and mushroom croquetas
By Rebecca Seal, Chantal Symons and John Vincent
Serves 4 | Prep 20 mins (plus chilling) | Cook 40 mins | Calories 434 (per serving)1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra
for frying
100g (1 cup) mushrooms,
very fi nely diced
½ leek, very fi nely diced
½ tsp sweet smoked
paprika (optional)
salt
4 tbsp vegan mayonnaise,
mixed with 1 tsp sweet
smoked paprika to serve
FOR THE BÉCHAMEL
475ml (2 cups)
unsweetened plant milk
½ onion, peeled
10 black peppercorns
60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
60g (½ cup) plain fl our
pinch of freshly
grated nutmeg
generous pinch of salt
FOR THE COATING
3 tbsp unsweetened
plant milk
3 tbsp plain fl our, plus
extra for dusting
50–75g (½-²/ 3 cup)
panko breadcrumbsThe recipe on this page
is taken from Leon Fast
Vegan by Rebecca Seal,
Chantal Symons and John
Vincent, photography by
Steven Joyce, published
by Conran Octopus.
(RRP £25.)