Churros, a Spanish staple
Growing up in Spain —where it was years before I ever saw snow for the first time—, makes me ever excited to see the first winter snowflakes fall in Fort Wayne. For my children, the sight means the anticipation of a school cancellation the next day. For me, it’s a reminder that the time of year has come to live more indoors than out, that the homey cooking season has arrived, the time of stews. Of churros for breakfast on Sunday mornings.
I like the changing of the seasons that we enjoy in the Midwest. From the spring blooming to the hot summers, and then to the deep, warm, gorgeous colors of fall, heading on to the first snow fall. I like them all, as each one of them offers endless possibilities of activities and of fruits of the earth. However, as winter deepens into the after-Christmas season and beyond, the endless sight of snow can make everyone itchy to go outside, to abandon the retreat and to welcome warmer days. That’s the time when even the cooking has to be more fun. Because when it’s only the end of January, those warmer days are still a long way away.
Churros is my answer to the school cancellation morning ritual: a special breakfast that I remember eating in my native Spain on special days —namely, every Sunday!—. The recipe is simple, and the slight mess it creates on the counter and on your finger tips only adds to the fun. Sprinkled with sugar, churros makes for a delicious afternoon snack, and dipped in thick, hot chocolate is a heavenly pleasure.
You’ll need a manga pastelera to make churros, a churro making bag. But in the absence of one, use a pastry bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
CHURROS
Ingredients:
2 cups of water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 Tbs butter
2 cups olive or canola oil, for frying
Sugar, for sprinkling
Utensils:
Wooden spoon
Pastry bag fitted with the churro spout (large, star shaped)
Paper towels
Scissors
In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil and dissolve the salt. Pour in the flour, lower the heat, and start mixing with a wooden spoon (I sift the flour over the hot water with one hand, while stirring with the wooden spoon with the other hand, but this might require a bit of practice). Remove the saucepan from the heat and continue to work the dough with the wooden spoon. Add the butter and stir as it melts and incorporates into the dough. Stir until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes (it will still be sticky).
Fit the pastry bag with the churro spout and fold the top edges of the bag over your hand while holding it. With the wooden spoon, fill the bag with the dough, unfold the edges, and twist to close. In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the oil on medium heat.
With a steady hand, press the pastry bag to release the dough onto the hot oil, in a circular motion, forming a spiral (if you would rather have your churros in a short loop or stick shape, pour into individual churros, cutting the dough with scissors as it comes out of the spout, and cook as many as will fit in the pan without touching each other). Help keep the shape of the spiral with the handle of a wooden spoon, or with a wooden skewer.
When the churros are golden (1 to 2 min depending on their thickness), remove with a wooden spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Depending on the size of the churro spout you use, you might need to gently turn over the churros, if these are thick, to fry on the other side (you will have to do this if you cook individual churros).
Cut the spirals into 4 to 5-inch long churros and pile on a plate.
To serve, sprinkle with sugar, and accompany with thick, hot chocolate (recipe here)
