Churros

Churros are a dessert that originated from Spain and Portugal but are much loved all over the world, including Italy. Fried and sugared, they can be served with thick hot chocolate for an even more scrumptious touch. Here’s a basic recipe with a small Italian twist, which could be the addition of a touch of pastry liquor in the dough for flavoring.

Ingredients

• 250 ml of water
• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 50 g of unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• Seed oil for frying (such as sunflower or peanut oil)
• Granulated sugar for sprinkling (to taste)
• Optional: 1 tablespoon of pastry liquor (like anise or rum)

Preparation

1. In a saucepan, bring the water with the butter and pinch of salt to a boil.
2. Remove the water from heat and pour in the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps.
3. Put the saucepan back on the heat and cook the dough, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes: the dough should dry out and pull away from the walls of the pot.
4. Transfer the dough to a bowl and let it cool down for a few minutes.
5. When the dough is no longer boiling hot, add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next.
6. If you have chosen to use the pastry liquor, add it to the dough and mix everything together.
7. Put the dough into a pastry bag with a star-shaped nozzle.
8. Heat a generous amount of oil in a large pan and when it is hot, squeeze the dough directly into the oil, forming strips of about 10-15 cm.
9. Fry the churros until they are golden and crisp, then drain them on paper towels.
10. Roll the still-hot churros in the granulated sugar to completely coat them.

The churros are ready to be served, preferably warm. For an Italian touch and a truly indulgent experience, you might serve the churros with a chocolate sauce flavored with a hint of espresso coffee.

Curiosity

The word “churro” is said to derive from the sound the dough makes when frying in hot oil. It’s also said that the name may come from the resemblance to the shape of the horns of the “churro,” a breed of sheep whose wool is similar to the texture of the fried sweet.