Mushroom Croquettes Vegan Recipe

For no really good reason at all, I decided that I wanted to do mushroom croquettes. As far as what differentiates a croquette from a cake or a ball, I'm not entirely sure. But croquette sure does have a nice ring to it.

The secret is to get the mushrooms nice and dark, dark brown. That way they have maximum flavor. 

The easiest way to do that is with a cast iron skillet. You can do it with any frying pan, but it'll happen much quicker in cast iron. And in my opinion, they have a deeper flavor using this method. 

Ingredients
1 pint sliced button mushrooms (or 2 1/2 cups), chopped into small bits
1/2 cup garbanzos, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves garlic, chunked
1 whole wheat bread heel, torn into small pieces
2 tbls olive oil
1 tbl salt
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp crushed pepper flakes

Instructions
It's easier and faster to brown your mushrooms when they are small. We're going to buzz them up in the food processor anyway, so uniformity is not necessary. Just chop then into small chunks. Although the pieces should be of similar size so that they cook at roughly the same rate. 

Heat your skillet over medium high several minutes before adding the mushrooms. They should sizzle when they hit the pan. Sprinkle with a generous dose of the salt. Let them cook, stirring occasionally. Keep cooking them until they've released all their water and that has evaporated. Let go until they get fairly dark. 

Add the oil, garlic and spices. Then continue cooking until the spices are fragrant. 

Add the mushroom mixture and the remaining ingredients to your food processor and buzz until you have a thick homogenous consistency. 

Chill the mixture for at least 1 hour. Overnight is fine too. 

Shape into 2 inch rounds and arrange evenly on a baking sheet lined with tin foil or parchment and lubricated.

Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. 

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before trying to remove from the baking sheet.