Croquetas de Pollo + Altos de Torona Albariño (Sobre Lias) #AlbarinoHoliday #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with a virtual wine tasting event hosted by 

Snooth for Rias Baixas. Wine samples were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.

Earlier this month I took part in a virtual tasting for Snooth of wines from Rías Baixas.* I had received a selection of Albariños and knew I wanted to have my friends from Spain give me some cooking lessons. I asked; and they agreed!

So, after the virtual tasting, with notes in hand, we went to Juan and Susana's house and they taught me how to make Croquetas de Pollo and Papas Bravas. We finished off the evening with roasted pork loin and Yorkshire pudding, but the first few courses - and dessert - were Spanish through and through.

In the Glass

Winemaker Pablo Ibañez makes the Altos de Torona Albariño (Sobre Lias) as a monovarietal, meaning it's produced with 100% Albariño grapes. He blends the region's winemaking traditions with modern winemaking technology for this mildly intense, lush wine.

  

In the glass it had a yellowish green color. On the nose I initially got aromas of apple and pair, but as it warmed, the mineral aromas were more pronounced. This was a more full-bodied white wine that was still crisp enough to make it a perfect match for the fried croquetas. 

On the Plate

Susana shared Juan's mom's process with me. These crispy, bite-sized logs of smooth chicken in a breadcrumb blanket were delicious!

Ingredients

• 4 T olive oil
• 1 T onion, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and pressed
• 1 C milk, room temperature
• 1/2 C flour, divided
• 1/4 t freshly ground nutmeg
• freshly ground salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 T dry cooking wine
• 1 lb finely shredded chicken (this has been boiled with bay leaves, salt, and pepper first)
• 1 to 2 t herbs, optional
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 C bread crumbs
• vegetable oil for frying

Procedure 

Heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté onions and garlic on medium-low heat. Slowly whisk in milk, 1/3 C flour and freshly ground nutmeg. Whisk constantly stir until a thick sauce forms. Pour in the cooking wine and add the shredded chicken to the sauce. Mix it all together and let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes on low heat. Stir in herbs if using. Juan did one batch with herbs and one without.

Let the filling cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The must be chilled in order to form them into the croquetas.

Remove filling from refrigerator. Form the croquetas with between 1 to 2 T  filling. Roll in beaten egg and coat them with breadcrumbs.

Place on a parchment paper-lined tray until all of the croquetas are done.

In rimmed pan, pour in enough vegetable oil to cover the croquettes almost completely. Let heat until it spatters if you add a drop of water.

Gently lower the croquetas into the hot oil. Fry each one until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes per side. Roll the croquetas to the other side for another 2 minutes if the oil doesn't cover them completely.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Enjoy!

Find the Sponsors...

Rias Baixas on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram

Snooth on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram

*Disclosure: I received sample wines for recipe development, pairing, and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.