My kids were all born here in Southern California. My husband is also a native Californian. So the only kind of churros they’ve ever known have come from a cart at Disneyland.
But those are Mexican-style. They are hard and crunchy with lots of brown sugar. They are tasty enough, but I am used to light and fluffy Cuban-style churros.
Oh, yeah!
The kind you can have for breakfast with Café con Leche, or on a cold night with Chocolaté Caliente.
It was unseasonably cold here yesterday, which seemed like a perfect time to make churros.
Jonathan, especially gets such a kick out of this. Some foods, he believes, can only be made in restaurants or found in grocery stores.
So, when I get an urge to make home-made potato chips or something that usually comes packaged, he responds with: "Mom, that’s so . . . pro."
When I served the "Vaca Frita" for dinner. Eric said, "Honey, this is a gourmet meal."
I take the compliments and refrain from the lecture about how important the entire process is. My own childhood was filled with memories of food and family and the kitchen and conversation. It is part of my very Cuban DNA. It’s not just about getting food on the table. It’s not about convenience and speed, (although, this particular recipe is super simple and only takes a few minutes) but about the pleasure of working side by side. It’s about the aromas and tastes that affect memory. It’s about laughing together. It’s about making the memory.
But I know that this is something that is more "caught, than taught." And I continue to feed them in my "pro and gourmet" way, because later in life I know they will say, "My mom made the BEST churros!"
And I know they won’t be able to remember which was really better: the churros themselves, or the fun we had preparing them.
And it really won’t matter. =D
Marta’s Homemade Churros
1 cup (all-purpose) flour
1 cup water with 1/8 tsp. of salt
vegetable oil
Plate of granulated or powdered sugar
1) Sift the flour in a mixing bowl, while bringing the salted water to a boil.
2) Pour the boiling water over the flour, stirring lightly until the dough forms into a ball – about 30 seconds. The dough should be compact, but not runny or too soft.
3) If you have a churrera or a cookie press, load it up with the dough. If not, a big freezer zip lock or a pastry bag with a corner cut off works, too. Use a star shaped tip, if you have it.
4) Squeeze dough onto waxed paper in about 6 inch strips.
5) Heat the oil until very hot.
6) Fry the dough in the super-hot oil, turning once when you see the edges barely begin to pick up color. (think pancakes) Fry for about 5 minutes total.
7) Remove with a slotted spoon, draining as much oil as possible and place on the sugar plate and roll in the sugar.
8) The churros will be ready to eat almost immediately.
9) The memory will last forever. 😉
Val Prieto says
April 19, 2007 at 7:41 amYou are evil…..just plain evil….
Jenny says
April 19, 2007 at 9:43 amMy churros memory is not the homemade type, but it still makes me happy when I think of the chewy sugary yumminess! Growing up Cuban in Miami makes you take for granted to access to fantastic food and cafecitos at all hours of the day– the one thing I can’t find anymore, though? Churros vendors! Every day after school, you could see the little viejito with his bag of homemade churros selling it to cars… they were the best desserts you could ever have! You can’t really find them anymore on the corners, but if I ever get lucky enough to find one again, I’m buying the whole lot!
Lucy says
April 19, 2007 at 9:57 am“My mom makes the BEST churros.” Neener-neener nee. =DLucy D.
P.S. And you’re going to make some more churros…when?
Val Prieto says
April 19, 2007 at 10:03 amThere used to be an ice cream parlor, El Oso Blanco I beleive it was called, on SW 8 st and like 19 or 20 avenue in the sixties/seventees. I would walk there once a week with my grandfather for helado de mamey and two bags of churros, one for me and one for my grandmother.Gracias marta, as I hadnt thought of that place or those walks with my Abuelo culminating in pure sugary goodness in a long long time.
Carrie says
April 19, 2007 at 4:59 pmMarta, seriously, te voy a matar. I am gaining weight just looking at your site…And I am all teary-eyed thinking of my Morro Castle so far away. Howse about a churro date in Miami next month? Licking one’s fingers after each one is the BEST!
class factotum says
April 20, 2007 at 9:21 amYours look great. I’ve never had homemade — only the kind you get at the churro places in Spain:http://class-factotum.journalspace.com/?entryid=1237&h=churros
Marta says
April 20, 2007 at 1:29 pmclass factotum -I remember having that same hot chocolate in Spain. And I have a fabulous recipe, too.
Of course, this just means I will have to:
a) make churros again.
b) make thick, Spanish hot chocolate to go with them.
c) blog about it and post the recipe.
So many churros, so little time. (sigh) =D
class factotum says
April 20, 2007 at 5:50 pmI gave up chocolate (and sugar) for Lent this year. My boyfriend asked what I would have done if we had taken our trip to Spain and Morocco during Lent — would I have eaten the churros y chocolate and violated my Lentan sacrifice?”I would have given up (something else) instead,” I told him. (I am assuming this is a family blog…)
“You would have had to buy your own churros,” he told me.
Fine. I can have (something else) any time. Churros y chocolate? That’s too rare and too good!!!!! I hadn’t had them since my family lived in Spain when I was a little girl. I have my priorities.
class factotum says
April 20, 2007 at 5:52 pmMarta — (as always, my fingers are faster than my brain) — I eagerly await your chocolate recipe! I am going to have to make a “Marta” folder of recipes. So far, everything I have tried has been a hit!
DowntownFoodie says
April 10, 2011 at 4:30 pmYou’re wonderful for posting this! I live in Miami but I am from VA and I absolutely love the Cuban-style churros. I definitely prefer them to the Mexican kind. Thanks SO much for sharing your recipe.
juanalacubana says
July 9, 2011 at 4:01 pmchocolate doesn’t have an accent on the e