Pea Croquettes with Spicy tomato relish

I was watching Michel Roux on the BBC Food and Drink programme the other week and he made some chicken croquettes with a tomato relish – they sounded like just the kind of dish I could do something with! Apparently it’s a traditional way to use up left-over chicken in France, but here I’ve swapped it for peas and plenty of black pepper (a combination I think really works). The relish is like a speedy tomato chutney spiced up with smoked paprika (and chilli if you like). We ate these for Sunday lunch and it made a wonderfully satisfying and comforting meal. The girls were originally rather suspicious of the ‘bits’ in the croquettes, but soon changed their minds. This will definitely become a winter family staple – thank you Michel for the inspiration 🙂

Pea Croquettes (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

Serves 4 (makes about 12 croquettes)

• 6 medium potatoes
• 2 tbsps dairy-free spread
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, lightly cooked
• Salt and pepper
• 2 slices of stale bread, whizzers into breadcrumbs

– Cook and mash the potatoes (I like to bake them and then rice the insides as it makes the mash very dry and fluffy and totally lump free!)
– Stir in the spread to make a silky, but not wet mash.
– Add the peas and season well with salt and plenty of ground pepper. Taste
– Whilst its still warm, roll the mix into neat cylinders.
– Roll in the breadcrumbs to fully coat (I find if you do this while the potato is warm, then there is no need for the usual flour, egg, breadcrumb combo)
– Place in the fridge for half an hour.
– Shallow fry in sunflower oil until golden on all sides, then transfer to the oven for 10 minutes to fully warm though

Spicy Tomato Relish (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 large handful of cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 dried chilli, crushed
• Salt and pepper

– Sauté the shallot and garlic until fragrant but not coloured
– Add the tomatoes, sugar, smoked paprika and vinegar. Season with a little salt and pepper
– Simmer gently for 10 minutes until jammy and chutney like.
– Allow to cool, then taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
– Serve at room temperature.