My brother was visiting from Sydney for the weekend so I decided to have a Carnitas & Margaritas night to celebrate. After a few Margaritas over Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca‘, it was time to move on to our Mexican feast. The prefect opportunity to use those Mexican doilies.
¡Hola!
Apart from the shredded pork carnitas, much of it was out of Lourdes Nichols’ book ‘Mexican Cookery‘ (hard to get anywhere – ISBN: 0-00-637035-7). We all love a nice glossy cookbook but this little picture free paperback picked up in an Op Shop in western Queensland is an addictive read, combining memories of a childhood in Mexico with wonderfully descriptive recipes that are simple and authentic. There’s not much about Lourdes on the internet but I do know she was instrumental in bringing Mexican food to the UK and her company was the first to produce Tortillas there – now that’s a claim to fame! Arroz Blanco (white rice Mexican style), Frijoles Refritos (refried beans), Mole Rojo (red mole), Pastel del Elote (Corn Bread), salsa, tortillas, corn chips, cheese, guacamole – we had it all.
Churros
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 100g good quality dark chocolate
- 25g milk chocolate
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 150ml whipping cream
- 125g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- 250ml boiling water
- 500ml oil for deep frying
Method
- Combine sugar and cinnamon and set aside in shallow dish for dusting
- Gently melt chocolate, syrup and cream in a heavy based saucepan over a low heat until combined. Take off heat but keep somewhere warm (inside the microwave is good – do not switch on!)
- Combine flour and baking powder in bowl. Add oil (15ml) and hot water
- Stir to combine until a sticky dough forms (this will happen quickly). Allow to rest whilst you heat the oil
- Heat the oil in a medium to large saucepan – the Churros will be cooked in 3 or 4 batches
- Use a cube of bread in the oil to check the temperature – golden (too cool), black (too hot), brown (just right)
- Ease teaspoonfuls of dough into the oil – do around 4 at a time. Cook until nicely browned and crisp on the outside
- Remove Churros from oil. Drain on paper towel then toss in sugar/cinnamon mixture
- Place Churros on fresh paper towel on baking tray and keep warm in low oven
- Serve warm Churros with individual bowls of chocolate dunking sauce
Notes
– Nigella suggests a piping bag to pipe out fat little doughnuts, snipping them off at the required length but that was too fiddly. My dough was very stiff and wouldn’t pipe out so I used the teaspoon method and it worked just fine.
Ole!
