Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Tear day-old challah into 1-inch square pieces and process until you have two cups of large crumbs. (You can freeze leftover crumbs for a future use.)
Cut the salmon into 1-inch chunks. Microplane or finely chop the lemon zest. Cut the remaining lemon into 8 long wedges, cut the pulp out and remove the seeds. Cut the onion into 1-inch chunks. If you prefer to use a food grinder rather than a food processor, cut these ingredients into long thin strips or wedges instead of chunks.
Process the lemon zest and pulp, onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, and eggs until finely chopped, or send through a fine grinder. Place in a large bowl. Process or grind the salmon for a hamburger-like texture. Add to bowl and mix well. Add the salt, pepper, and chervil to one cup of the bread crumbs and mix well.
Add the crumbs half a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add up to 2 cups of the crumbs and let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes (just like for matzo balls). The mixture will be loose.
Portion the balls as desired onto a sheet of plastic wrap. For balls, use a 1 3/4-inch scoop, a coffee scoop, or a 2-ounce medicine dosage cup. Roll the balls gently and place onto a non-stick or oil-sprayed cookie sheet in rows barely touching each other. As with matzo balls, handle the mixture as little as possible - do not over-roll or the texture will be too dense. For croquettes, measure by 1/4 to 1/3 cups and shape into oval patties.
Bake until the balls or croquettes are firm to the touch and just barely golden on top. Do not overbake! [Food editor’s note: I make croquettes and cook them for 20 minutes; try 15 minutes for the balls.]
This recipe makes about 15 croquettes or about 5 dozen balls.
Laurel Andersson Miller is a creative cook who lives in Newton and is contemplating entering the business world with one of several great food ideas she has been mulling over. Stay tuned! |