Appetizing Croquettes With Phil Tangonan

Months ago, when I heard that the new Orange County Museum of Art would house a restaurant headed by oh-so-talented chefs Ross Pangilinan and Nick Weber, my palate smiled. You say palates can’t smile? I beg to differ.

Verdant opened last fall and months later Phil Tangonan was appointed executive chef. He recently left the restaurant to go to Tanner's in Huntington Beach. He joined me to videotape the secrets of his Mediterranean-style croquettes, a popular tray-passed appetizer served at his catered events.

I’d attended a catered party at Verdant and witnessed grown guests juggle to position themselves in reaching distance of trays laden with his croquettes, orbs rich in Spanish ingredients: Manchego cheese, Pamplona chorizo, and smoked- paprika-spiked aioli. Crisp on the outside and Yukon-gold potato creamy inside, they are crowned with a smidgen of aioli, a thin slice of serrano chili, and micro cilantro. For an inviting visual contrast, he serves them resting on a bed of raw black beans. Paradise.

Plant-based dishes are the focus of Verdant’s menu and indeed those veg-forward concoctions are scrumptious. Popular choices include a unique take on avocado toast teamed with a 62-degree egg, cherry tomatoes, and a tagine sweetened with dates, apricots, and roasted vadouvan. Or his irresistible cold glass noodle salad with a miso-ginger vinaigrette, watermelon radish, and napa cabbage, as well as pickled Fresno chilies, and bean sprouts.

But I requested this meaty recipe for our how-to video, two-bite appetizers that home cooks can make in advance, freeze unfried, and then deep-fry at a lower temperature of 250 degrees. I plan to always have some in my freezer. Yes, I’ll use them as appetizers, but also tap them as a tasty garnish for green salads. I may even use them alongside grilled vegetables or chops.

The video shows off Tangonan’s talent for teaching as well as cooking. Tips are abundant, such as turning the heat off under the oil when the correct temp is reached, and the croquettes are cautiously added one by one.

His impressive culinary background includes a long list of work in Orange County restaurant kitchens, including AnQi Bistro and Crowbar Gastropub, as well as The Cannery and Catal Restaurant.

He says that he was built for work in the kitchen having grown up in a large family where everyone did their part, adding that he grew up in Irvine in the Filipino culture without being in the Philippines.

“I would help my grandma to clean vegetables and butcher meat with a cutting board on the floor,” he explained. “When I was 16, I was a dishwasher working for a motley team who spoke different languages and were from different backgrounds but moved with chaotic intent. The pirate life. I was in love and have been ever since.”

Thank goodness he is willing to share that kitchen love.

Croquette History: It was sparked when a guest wanted something crunchy on their party menu – something familiar made with unfamiliar ingredients. Now almost every party orders them.

Childhood Hero: My grandmother, Remi Abad. Cooking with her we used practically every part of the chicken, tip to tail. Barely any waste. Her signature dish is pinakbet, long beans with acorn squash, eggplant, bitter melon, and braised pork belly.

Secret Talent: I love music – play the ukelele and sing. “Lemonade” by Jeremy Passion is a favorite; it’s like the Filipino anthem.

Pivotal Point: Around 2011 I was sous chef at Crowbar and created a theme night on Thursdays that featured Chicken Adobo. Guests kept coming back for it and I felt the love for a dish from my childhood.

Favorite Knife: Nakiri short-bladed cleaver is so versatile, to cut up vegetables or take down duck bones.

Saver Stuff: I collect Disney jerseys with my daughter Cassandra, 8. We’ve had Disney passes since she was 4. I get to be a kid again.

Drink of Choice: Hennessy and pineapple juice, or Tamarindo Aqua Fresca

Luxury Appreciation: Air conditioning and hot water

Mediterranean-Style Croquettes

Yield: about 18

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

3 ounces butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup diced 1/8-inch Pamplona Spanish chorizo, see cook’s notes

Salt to taste

About 1/3 cup grated Manchego cheese

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 ounces egg yolks, beaten with a fork to blend

2 cups panko

1 cup grated Parmesan

Oil blend: 50% olive oil and 50% canola oil

Sprinkle of coarse salt, such as kosher salt

Garnish: grated Manchego cheese, smoked paprika aioli, micro cilantro, see cook’s notes

Salt to taste

Cook’s notes: Pamplona chorizo is sold online. Another source is La Espanola Meats in Harbor City; it’s a delicious adventure if you want to hit the road to enjoy a wide array of Spanish ingredients (25020 Doble Ave, Harbor City). To prepare aioli, combine mayonnaise (Kewpie brand mayonnaise purchased at a Japanese market is chef’s favorite), Spanish smoked paprika to taste, and minced garlic to taste

1. Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in pot and cover by 2-inches with cold water. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and gently boil until fork tender. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, place butter and cream in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until mixture is hot and butter melts; keep an eye on it.
3. Place drained potatoes and chorizo in large bowl of electric stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment beat on slow speed until potatoes start to nicely mash. Add salt to taste. With motor at medium speed, add hot milk-butter mixture in a thin stream. Scrape down sides as needed and mix until potatoes are mashed and still stiff. Add grated Manchego cheese and fold together. Cover and chill mixture.
4. Using a 1 1/2-ounce ice cream scoop, one at a time pack mixture into scoop making the top portion of the scoop flat. Scoop onto rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Create a breading station, with three containers (he used loaf pans, I use pie pans). In the first container place the flour. In the second, the yolks. In the third, Panko and Parmesan (mixed together). Turn medium-high heat under a deep pan that contains enough oil blend to just cover the croquettes. Dip each croquette in flour to lightly coat, and then dip in yolks, and then dip in Panko-Parmesan. Place each on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. When oil blend reaches 350 degrees, turn off heat and cautiously add a few croquettes one at a time (don’t crowd them). Fry until they are GBD, golden brown delicious – about 2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. Drain on plate lined with paper towel and repeat until all croquettes are fried. Place on serving tray flat side down. Sprinkle with a little salt. Top each with some grated Manchego cheese. Top each with a small amount of aioli (spooned or piped on), a slice of serrano chili, and micro cilantro. Serve.

Source: Phil Tangonan, executive chef at Verdent and Catering by Mix Mix, as well as chef de cuisine at Populaire

Cathy Thomas is an award-winning food writer and has authored three cookbooks: “50 Best Plants on the Planet,” “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce,” and “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce.” For more than 30 years, she has written about cooking, chefs, and food trends. She was the first newspaper food journalist to pioneer taping how-to culinary videos for the Web. CathyThomasCooks.com