Ham Hock Dutch Bitterballen

I read about these before I even tried them, in a little cookbook I bought in Amsterdam and just knew I would love them. The next time I flew over to see friends I had them twice and they were just so delicious. Hot crunchy balls of yumminess. They generally have beef in them and you dip them in mustard. So good.

However, I had some shredded ham hock left over from the pea and ham soup the other day and thought...well why not? They are similar enough to a croquette that you would get in Spain and they put ham in theirs. So I came up with this new recipe: Ham Hock Bitterballen.

Ingredients:      (makes about 24)

200g shredded, and then chopped, ham hock
400ml vegetable stock (from stock cube)
30g butter
30g flour
nutmeg
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
oil for frying
2 eggs
breadcrumbs

Method:

Put the butter in a medium pan and melt. Add the flour, stir well and let the flour cook out for a few moments. Slowly add the hot vegetable stock, stirring all the time, until its a creamy sauce.

Add the shredded ham to the sauce along with the garlic powder, mustard, nutmeg and salt & pepper. Spread out onto a plate and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up.

Beat the eggs and put into a dish. Put the breadcrumbs in another dish beside it. Have a bowl of cold water handy to wet your hands before rolling. With wet hands, pick about a tablespoon of the cold ham mix and roll into a ball. Carry on until all rolled. Then dip the first one in egg, then breadcrumbs, then repeat so they have two layers of crumb (makes them crispier).

Keep dipping the other rolled balls until all completed. Heat oil to about 2 inches in a sturdy pan and when hot, fry the Bitterballen for about 4 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven until all cooked. Serve piping hot with mustard for dipping on the side. Delicious!

Ham Hock Bitterballen!

Note: (For information on how to cook the ham hock, please see the pea and ham recipe from a few days ago.)

Note: To get a uniform shape, cut the cold ham mix in half with a knife and keep cutting to make 24 pieces. They will look small, but they get bigger with the breadcrumbs.