Churros con Chocolate

"If you can't find 'em, make 'em."

That has been my motto since I moved to the Middle East, well at least when it comes to food. One of the reason I pushed myself to learn how cook is to recreate the dishes that I miss back home in the Philippines. I remember how frustrating it was when I was pregnant craving for a Henlin siomai. Thank goodness I was able to convince myself Hongkong Restaurant's siomai was good enough. But I have yet to find a Spanish restaurant that is up to my standard. I'd still claim I make the meanest paella in the island!

Another favorite comfort food and feel good snack that I miss is churros. My favorite is Dulcinea's Churros con Chocolate. If I'm having a bad day, I go grab some and as soon as I dunk the churros into that rich hot cocoa I miraculously feel much better. Ok , I may be exaggerating but you get my point. It is pure, simple pleasure.

So here's my first attempt in making churros. I struggled a bit because my icing nozzle was small, but the taste was phenomenal! I. Am. Home.

Churros

Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Time: 20 minutes*
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
*You can use the inactive time to heat the frying oil, prepare the dusting powder and the hot chocolate

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 stick unsalted butter
4 tbsp granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
canola oil for frying
For dusting:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon powder


Direction:

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a saucepan, place water, sugar and butter and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and transfer the liquid mixture in a stand mixer. Add flour and vanilla and whisk using a paddle attachment. Add eggs, one at a time until well combined.

3. Transfer the mixture in a piping bag with star tip*. Pipe the mixture in any shape you want; I made 3-inch petal shaped churros and 4-inch sticks. Freeze for 15-20 minute.
Note: It is ideal to use a large star-tipped nozzle. The one I have is pretty small so I didn't get the desired size. 

4. Meanwhile, heat the oil for deep frying until it comes up to your desired temperature.
Note: I don't use a thermometer; I gauge that the temperature is hot enough when I dip the tip of my wooden spoon onto the oil and it starts to sizzle around the spoon. Also, when I put the mixture in, it should dive up to the middle of the pan and rise up; if it sinks to the bottom of the pan, the oil is not hot enough, and if it rises too quickly to the surface, the oil is too hot.

5. Have your dusting powder ready before you fry the dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a paper bag and shake.  Transfer on to a bowl. Set aside.

6. When you're ready to fry, cut the parchment paper around the frozen dough and fry the dough with the paper. Once the paper separates, fish it out immediately. Fry just enough number of dough to leave plenty of room for the churros to float freely. This will avoid the dough from sticking together and to keep a steady temperature. Once the surface of the dough is golden brown, fish it out and transfer to a wire rack.

7. Dunk the churros onto the dusting powder and generously coat it.

 Now for the Tableya Chocolate (Tab-li-ya Cho-ko-la-te). Tableya is a pure cacao or dark chocolate tablet/balls native in the Philippines. Where I come from, we boast to have some of the best tableya in the country. You can read more about tableya here.

Tableya

Tableya chocolate brings back nostalgic memories about my childhood. When I was young growing up in Batangas, my grandparents had cacao trees planted in their backyard. My Lola (grandmother) would pick the cacao seeds inside the fruit and let it dry under the sun for a couple of days. She would then roast the seeds over a wood burning earthen stove. Then she would manually grind the cacao several times, gradually adding brown sugar, until she gets the right consistency and the chocolate is shiny as it releases the oil. Finally she would form it into a ball and let it set and harden. There is no better way to enjoy "tsokolate-eh" (hot cocoa with milk) and "champurado" (chocolate porridge) than with a tableya. It's 100% pure chocolate heaven.

Here's my version of this ultra-rich hot cocoa or Chocolate


Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup powdered tableya (*grate the tableya using microplane zester/grater)
2 cups full cream milk
1/2 cup double cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg



Direction:

1. Combine the tableya, sugar, milk and double cream in a "batirol" or saucepan and heat over low heat. Whisk using "molinillo"; if you don't have one, use a metal whisk or a wooden spoon instead. Keep stirring/whisking until the cocoa and sugar is completely dissolved.

2. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.

18 May 2012
Home-made Dessert

Paella Mixta

Welcome to my kitchen. For my very first blog, I thought I'd share my signature dish, the Paella.

Paella (Valencian: [paˈeʎa], Spanish: [paˈeʎa]) is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.[1] Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain's national dish, but most Spaniards consider it to be a regional Valencian dish. Valencians, in turn, regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella (Spanish: paella valenciana), seafood paella (Spanish: paella de marisco) and mixed paella (Spanish: paella mixta), but there are many others as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paella

This is my version of Paella Mixta, a mix of seafood and chicken. My family and friends love it. It makes a simple dinner a fiesta. Why don't you try and make some yourself? You'll be surprised it's not as complicated as it looks. Enjoy! Buen apetito!

Paella Mixta Recipe
Ingredients:

Meat:
900g or 8pcs chicken thigh, skinned, deboned and cut in half*
250g Spanish chorizo
Seafood:
16 pcs medium sized prawns, deveined, 8 with head, 8 without head
2 pcs medium sized cuttlefish, ink removed, cut into rings
16 pcs mussels
1 kg clams, steamed and shelled (20 pcs w half shell)*
Equipment:
15in Paella pan (also known as paellera), coated with olive oil
Aluminum foil to cover the pan.
5 cups rice, washed
1.5ml or 10 cups of chicken stock*
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large or 2 medium sized red onions, diced
1 head of garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, fire-roasted, seeded and cut into strips*
2 240g can of peeled whole tomatoes, seeded, roughly chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
4 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne chili pepper
2 tsp saffron
Freshly milled salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup white wine
Lemon wedges, for garnish


Preparation:

The Chicken Stock:
Boil the bone from the chicken thigh in 1.5L water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

The Red Bell Pepper:
Roast the red bell pepper on the oven top on high heat. Remove the seeds then cut into strips. Set aside.

The Clams:
Steam the clams in salted water until the shells open. Remove the meat from the shell but set aside 15-20 pieces of clams on half shell for garnish. Set aside.
Note: If you’re using big clams, no need to steam separately. Add the clams the same time you add the mussels.

The chicken and seafood must be lightly seasoned with freshly milled salt and pepper.

The Paella pan:
Generously coat the paella or paellera with extra virgin olive oil, (even if the pan you are using is non-stick).

Direction:

Preheat the Oven to 200*C.

Sauté the chicken in oil until half-cooked. You may season with salt and pepper while sautéing. Set aside.

Sauté the onions and chorizo for 1 minute then add garlic, tomatoes, half of the roasted bell pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, saffron, salt and pepper. Pour in the wine, shimmy the pan and simmer for another minute.

Add the rice, mix thoroughly until the rice is evenly coated. Add half of the broth, then stir to evenly coat the rice. Arrange the mussels on the side of the pan. If you’re using uncooked large clams, arranged it evenly and plant them on the rice to ensure that it cooks well. Add the remaining broth and bring to boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 7-10 minutes, uncovered, shaking and turning the pan occasionally.

Once the rice is nearly cooked, assemble the remaining ingredients on top: chicken, steamed clams, cuttlefish, prawns, the remaining roasted bell pepper and green peas. Cover with aluminum foil and simmer for 5 minutes in low heat, shaking and turning the pan occasionally.


If the liquid has not completely dried after 5 minutes, put the pan into the oven and bake until the liquid has been absorbed.

Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve immediately.

Makes a hearty serving for 10 people.

Wine Pairing Suggestion: Good with Medium-bodied, fruity, semi-sweet white wine. My personal favorite is Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Pairing with Sangria is also a good choice.

30 September 2011
Home-cooked Meal