Recipe request: Churros

I am the one generally responsible for what is on our daily menu at home. Sometimes it can be a bit daunting, trying to come up with interesting variation in the diet and not falling back to my all time favourites. I am not only open, but encourage suggestions but they all seem happy to leave the task to me.
It is that I know that my family are quite satisfied with what I come up with, because my 'boys' are not exactly generous with their compliments. Sadly, in general I only hear when something doesn't go down too well- typical men! Comments about the dishes are not often made unless I initiate. Usually with a simple Dutch "lekker?" don't ask me to translate- it isn't really 'tasty' that is smakelijk, it isn't 'nice' that is more leuk. But on the other hand, contented faces- and empty plates speak volumes. And they have been known to lick their plates- something I don't encourage!
Recently I got a recipe request from my youngest son that I became quite intrigued by- Churros. These are Spanish dough-snacks in the form of sticks that I had never actually eaten. The very next time I saw them on a street stall I immediately bought a portion- purely for research mind- not because I actually wanted to eat these sweet smelling long fluted sticks. It was interesting watching them being made by the street vendor and judging by the long queue, they are pretty popular. They are made per customer request so piping hot and fresh. I wasn't disappointed- these 'doughnuts' were quite pleasant, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and coated in cinnamon sugar- delicious.
Before I had the chance to try to reproduce Churros myself my son decided with a group of friends to try it himself. I think they turned out pretty ok- apart from a (my) ripped piping bag that is.

I did a bit of research and discovered that Churros are found all over Spain and often eaten as a breakfast treat with a cup of chocolate milk (thicker than we are accustomed to drinking) The ultimate experience is, so they say, to dunk your Churros!
The dough is prepared similar to choux pastry. The snacks can be straight or curled, and often made with wheat four or alternatively potato. It seems that they are becoming quite popular at festivals, fairs, and at (Disney) attraction parks. They are not only found in Spain but also Mexico and other Latin American countries, as well as USA, and is also available in the form of a 'mix'.
The best way to eat them is hot and fresh from the fryer- they can't really be re-heated- but don't worry- there will probably be none leftover anyway!
Next time you spot them try them and experience a part of Spanish culture and then try making them yourself . They are absolutely delicious but be warned- quite more-ish. You'll be craving for your next 'fix' soon enough.


A photo taken by my other son last week in Spain. A high calorie breakfast with real Spanish Churros central.

As you would expect from any fried snack- Churros are not a dish for the health conscious or weight-watchers among us!
To be honest I actually forgot my promise to replicate the Churros- (is this why they don't make requests?) until the other day. I was watching Nigella's kitchen she was true to form,- it is an absolute a joy to watch her indulge on calorie rich food. Guess what was on the menu? Yes! Churros!
Her recipe was so simple with minimal ingredients- I decided to try it at the next opportunity. The dough/ batter is literally made in minutes. It then needs to be squeezed out of piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle to become long fluted sticks. This is what ensures that the Churrros are of the correct texture (crispy outside/ soft inside)
I was quite surprised that her recipe was eggless and googled to discover that authentic Spanish Churros doesn't actually contain egg. Or cinnamon.
The indulgent Nigella paired her Churros up with chocolate sauce- I didn't. (this time) I haphazardly mixed a bit of caster sugar with some cinnamon- you have to draw the line somewhere- they is too much of a good thing.
Although they actually turned out quite well and they are quite fun and simple to prepare- I will try adding a bit of butter and maybe an egg next time for a bit of nutrition and variation. Or even a grated lemon/ orange or perhaps a savoury version. They would certainly be a great party pleasers. Cheap and cheerful.
Where does the name Churros come from you may wonder- well the Navajo-Churro sheep of course- take a look at these horns! The recipe was developed by shepherds tending their sheep.
Luckily I found the Nigella recipe here so no need to have to jot everything down while pausing the video recorder!
If you want to go the whole way click over to Nigella and enjoy dunking your Churros in chocolate. If you want to keep it simple this time read on.

Nigella's Churros
125g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp olive oil
250ml freshly boiled water
A mix of caster sugar and cinnamon to your own taste.

Method:
To make the churros, put the flour into a bowl and stir in the baking powder, then beat in the olive oil and freshly boiled water from a kettle. Keep mixing until you have a warm, sticky dough, and leave to rest for about 10 minutes or for as long as it takes for the corn (or vegetable) oil to heat up.
When you are ready, load up a piping bag with a large star-shaped nozzl and fill with the churros dough. In my opinion the star nozzle I used wasn't quite big enough. And can you believe I actually ripped another brand new piping bag! I may use my aluminum cookie gun next time.
Squeeze short lengths (I made longer ones than Nigella) of dough into the hot oil, snipping them off with a pair of scissors as you go.
I turned them once during cooking. Once they turn a rich golden-brown, fish them out of the oil with a slotted spoon, spatula or tongs onto a baking sheet lined with some kitchen roll.
Nigella recommends: To keep the cooked churros warm while you fry the remaining dough, blot with kitchen roll, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in a low oven (100C/220F/Gas ¼). Even if you want to eat them immediately, they do need 5–10 minutes to rest before you eat them, to allow them to set inside.
(As it is such a small batch I didn't bother)
Just before serving, toss all the hot churros in the sugar and cinnamon mixture and shake them about to get a good covering.

Apologies for the awful photo's- the Churros were gobbled up before I could get a good shot of them!
The best laugh of the day was that hubby misunderstood me- he thought he heard me say I was making 'Gyros' instead of 'Churros'. Being a meat lover he was needless to say rather disappointed......can't please everyone....