Churros, Chocolate y el Amor

Churros con chocolate en Toledo

¿He escrito que he ganado peso? No un poco, sino un pocazo! Nunca he tenido muchos problemas de sobrepeso, ni siquiera después de nacer mis bebés. De hecho, estaba de un esbelto 115 llbs, o 51.7 kilos cuando llegué a Madrid. Seis semanas después toda mi ropa me queda ajustada y peso casi 57 kilos o 126 lbs! ¡En seis semanas! Bueno, he querido echar la culpa a muchas cosas, como el aceite de oliva que va regando todas las comidas de carne, queso, ensaladas, etc. . . , o la cantidad de pan bueno que comemos con cada comida, o a comer siempre a unas horas fijas y sanas con mucha atención*, pero seguro que la razón más lógica es el amor. Tendré que pensar en una estrategia pronto si quiero entrar en el vestido de boda.

Have I written that I’m gaining weight? Not a little. No, no. A lot! I’ve never had too much difficulty with my weight, even after having my babies. In fact, I was down to a trim 115 lbs. or 51.7 kilos when I arrived to Madrid. Five weeks later all my clothes are snug and I’m at 56 kilos or 123 lbs! In six weeks! Now I want to blame this on a number of things, like olive oil generously ladeled onto all kinds of delicacies, or fresh baked bread eaten with every meal, or frequent meals at a very regular schedule with much attention to eating them,* but I'm sure the most logical reason is love. I must think of a strategy soon if I am going to fit into my wedding dress this August.

*Sí, hay un romance con la comida aquí. La comida es muy importante para los españoles. Este no es el sitio para “coger algo ligerito” en ruta a otro destino, o sobre la marcha. Ni es el mejor sitio para hacer dieta, especialmente mi dieta preferida de comida cruda, mayormente de vegetales y fruta. Sin embargo, me ha encantado todo.

There IS a love affair with food going on here. Food is very important to the Spaniards. This is not the place for “grab a bit” on your way to, well anywhere an American might be going. And this is not the place for my raw food, mostly veggie and fruit diet either. Still, I've loved all of it.



The Churros
Here's the ultimate recipe, just like those at the churrería stands. Then once the churros are made you can make the authentic chocolate dip to dunk them in.

Ingredients: (Makes one platefull)
Vegetable or Olive Oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Prepare to fry the churros by heating oil in a pan (1 to 1&1/2 inches) to 360 degrees F.

To make churro dough, heat water, margarine and salt to rolling boil in 3-quart saucepan; stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute; remove from heat. Beat eggs all at once; continue beating until smooth and then add to saucepan while stirring mixture.

Spoon mixture into cake decorators' tube with large star tip (like the kind use to decorate cakes). Squeeze 4-inch strips of dough into hot oil. Fry 3 or 4 strips at a time until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. (Mix Sugar and the optional cinnamon); roll churros in sugar or dump the sugar on the pile of churros, like the pros. That churro taste will take you right back to your favorite summer days walking the paseos of Spain.

Note: REAL churros in Spain are made without cinnamon mixed with the sugar, but the cinnamon adds an extra nice flavor.

Chocolate for Churro Dunking
4oz dark chocolate, chopped
2 cups milk
1 tbsp cornstarch (also known as cornflour and is the powder that causes the thickening)
4 tbsp sugar

Place the chocolate and half the milk in a pan and heat, stirring, until the chocolate has melted. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk and whisk into the chocolate with the sugar. Cook on low heat, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is thickened, about five minutes. Add extra cornstarch if it doesn't start to thicken after 5 minutes. Remove and whisk smooth. Pour and server in cups or bowls for dunking churros. Do not pour over churros, but use the mix for dunking churros after every bite. Served warm.
Dean Derhauk- Real Spanish Food Recipes - http://www.xmission.com/~dderhak/recipes.html