These Chickpea croquettes stuffed with cheese They are easy to make and they are delicious. Surprise your guests with this original appetizer with a crispy crust and a creamy heart.
According to the RAE, a croquette is a «piece of dough, usually round or ovalmade with a mincemeat of ham, meat, fish, egg or other ingredients, which, linked with bechamel, is coated in egg and breadcrumbs and fried in abundant oil.»
Under that definition, these chickpea balls with cheese They could not be called croquettes, because although they are also battered and fried, they do not have a trace of bechamel. However, I can’t think of a better name for this appetizer, because it not only looks like a croquette, but is just as rich and addictive.
The chickpea, the protagonist of this recipe, is one of those foods that we do not take enough advantage of. We have become accustomed to consuming it almost exclusively in a stew or stew, when its culinary applications are very diverse.
Good example of this are these chickpea croquettes, in which the floury and soft texture of the legume allows us to easily shape the pieces and even fill them. So let’s get to work and see how to make crispy and very rich chickpea croquettes. Take note of the recipe.
Ingredients to make chickpea croquettes stuffed with cheese. Quantities for 18 units
- — FOR THE BALLS —
- 400g chickpeas, cooked and drained
- 40g breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1.5 tablespoons of tahini (toasted sesame paste)
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- Salt
- 1 splash of extra virgin olive oil
- – FOR THE FILLING –
- 100g cheese provolone (or another that melts easily)
- — FOR BREADING AND FRYING—
- 2 eggs
- 100 g of breadcrumbs (if it is seasoned, better)
- mild olive or sunflower oil
How to make cheese stuffed chickpea croquettes
Prepare the dough for the chickpea balls
- Place all the ingredients for the balls in the glass of your blender or food processor, except for the cheese, obviously. Blend until you get a smooth dough and without lumps. Taste it and adjust the amount of seasoning to your liking.
- The dough must have consistency enough to work with your hands without getting all stuck. If the dough is too loose, add a little more breadcrumbs. If the dough is very dry and breaks when you handle it, add a little more olive oil or water, failing that.
- Place the chickpeas together with the rest of the ingredients in the glass of the blender or kitchen robot
- Blend until smooth
Fill and fry the croquettes
- Secondly, cut the cheese into pieces little ones.
- Beat a couple of eggs on a plate and prepare another with the breadcrumbs. You can also heat plenty of oil in a tall container to fry the croquettes.
- Take a piece of doughMake a ball and flatten it slightly. Place a few pieces of cheese in the center and close it completely.
- Once you have formed and filled all the croquettes, pass them through the beaten egg and then through the breadcrumbs.
- fry the croquettes in small batches until golden brown to your liking.
- As long as you have them ready, place them on a plate covered with kitchen paper. Wait for them to cool down a bit and you can now enjoy your chickpea croquettes stuffed with cheese.
- Cut the provolone cheese into cubes
- Form the croquettes with your hands and fill them with the pieces of cheese
- Go through egg and breadcrumbs
- Fry the chickpea croquettes in abundant oil
- Place the croquettes on kitchen paper to drain off the excess oil.
- Chickpea croquettes stuffed with cheese
Tips for making chickpea croquettes with cheese
- As you have seen in the recipe, I have seasoned the croquette dough in a simple way, with a bit of tahinigarlic powder and pepperbut you can do it with other ingredients.
- Make sure the balls have about 4 centimeters in diameter, like a beautiful meatball, more or less. Avoid making them too big, as they will not cook well inside. You can make them a little smaller if you want, but it will take longer to shape them all.
- To coat, I have used a breadcrumb that already came seasoned with herbs and spices. This one gave a lot of flavor to the croquettes, so I recommend that if you do not want to use commercial breadcrumbs, you enrich yours with seasonings such as garlic powder, oregano, parsley, etc.
- I have filled my croquettes with cheese provolonebut can be done with any other cheese that melts wellAs the mozzarella or the Gruyère.
- I recommend you taste these croquettes freshly made and while still hot. This way you will enjoy its crunchy exterior and its heart of melted cheese.