Meat Croquettes

Recipe No. 189 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Fritters and Croquettes. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Onions, finely chopped — ½ pound (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Fat (for frying) — ¾ pound (½ mess kit cup)
• Flour, sifted — ¾ pound (¼ No. 56 dipper)
• Salt — 3 ounces (6 mess kit spoons)

Pepper — as needed

• Worcestershire sauce — 4 ounces (7 mess kit spoons)
• Milk, evaporated — 4—14½-ounce cans

Water (for milk) — 1½ quarts (1½ No. 56 dippers)

• Meat, left-over, finely ground — 16 pounds (14 No. 56 dippers)
• Bread crumbs, soft — 2¼ pounds (4½ No. 56 dippers)
• Eggs, beaten — 10 eggs (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Bread crumbs — as needed
• Fat (for frying) — as needed

Directions

Key ingredients

Evaporated Milk · Worcestershire Sauce

1. Fry onions until tender. Add flour, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.
2. Mix milk and water; add to onions. Heat to boiling; boil until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. Add meat and bread crumbs; mix well. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
4. Shape mixture into croquettes; dip in beaten egg. Roll in crumbs.
5. Fry in deep hot fat (375° F.) about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Drain on absorbent paper.
7. Serve very hot.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Onions, finely chopped — ⅔ oz Fat (for frying) — 1 oz Flour, sifted — 1 oz Salt — about 1½ tsp Pepper — to taste Worcestershire sauce — about 2 tsp Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 7⅔ tbsp Meat, left-over, finely ground — 1 lb 4½ oz Bread crumbs, soft — 3 oz Eggs, beaten — ¾ eggs Bread crumbs — to taste Fat (for frying) — to taste

Serve with brown gravy (recipe No. 511) or tomato sauce (recipe No. 508).

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 189, Fritters and Croquettes. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.