Dutch Croquettes- Variations on a Theme

For many years, I only made croquettes with leftover turkey, after Thanksgiving or Christmas, a classic recipe, a good thick roux, nutmeg, onion, salt and pepper and shredded turkey, each croquette breaded and fried a golden brown, sounds easy? It was, everyone liked it, bring out the homemade bread and Dutch mustard, add a little frisée or arugula and you have a lovely appetizer, or lunch. But.....along the way, I often had other left over meat from roasting or simply made the croquettes from combination of chicken breasts and chicken thighs. At one point I was also making ham croquettes, then I met a Dutch butcher who made the most terrific beef ones.......
So, while perusing the Dutch International Cook Nook FaceBook page, I realized I had not made any beef croquettes but can share my experience with the different ones I have made over the years, then try to make the beef croquettes recipe one of the ladies shared on the Dutch International Cook Book/Koek Boek. So here goes....

1 5-6 lb chicken, roasted
1 teaspoon Salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 medium white onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch or two of crushed chili flakes
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup chicken stock you can use boullion cubes and hot water
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk, if you don't have this, use 1/3 cup milk and 1/3 cup extra stock

Crust

1-1/2 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper, you could also add a bit of cayenne, just for an extra kick
6-8 eggs mixed with 1/4 cup water
2-3 cups fine Breadcrumbs
2-3 cups Panko breadcrumbs
To serve
Naan Bread, crusty bread, French fries

Start by roasting a chicken, or if you are pressed for time, buy a chicken roasted from Sobeys. Remove all the chicken from the bones, (reserve the back, bones and skin for soup). I like the roasted flavour rather than boiling the chicken because it seems to absorb more of the spices I am adding in this recipe.
Shred the remaining chicken into little bits with the food processor, add salt and pepper, set aside. Chop I medium white onion fine, 1 stalk celery, chopped fine. In a large sauce pan add 1/4 cup butter, sauté the onion and celery, until almost translucent, add 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, a pinch or two of crushed chilies, saute those with the onion and celery until you can smell them, about 1 minute, then add 1/4 cup flour, to the veggie/ butter mix, cook and stir over medium heat until the flour has cooked out about a minute, then add 2/3 cup chicken stock, and 2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk, cook and stir over medium heat until it is nice and thick, add back the shredded chicken stir well, it will be very thick, taste for salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until it is cool enough to handle, (overnight is best but I have waited 2-1/2 hours to finish them). Then form into little logs, dip into 1-1/2 c seasoned flour, then 6-8 eggs mixed with 1/4 c of water, then 2-3 cups breadcrumbs, you can do the "dip" twice if you are freezing them, it seems to make them hold together better, for the second dip you can use panko breadcrumbs for that extra crunch, fry them until golden, enjoy with naan or crusty bread of French fries.