Madrid takes its churros plain. The dough is flour, boiling water and a pinch of salt, with no egg, no butter and no cinnamon, and the city has never felt the lack. What arrives at the table is a tangle of pale gold ridges, crunchy outside and soft within, beside a cup of chocolate so dense it behaves more like warm pudding than a drink. The habit took hold in the capital's chocolate cafés in the nineteenth century, and Madrileños have been arguing about the best counter in town ever since. Thicker, fluffier cousins called porras share the same plate and the same loyalties.

The hours are flexible. Churros are breakfast, an afternoon merienda, and the last order of a long night out, sometimes all three for the same person on the same day. With Formula 1 now racing in Madrid, they make the natural close to a race weekend: sweet, hot, shared from one plate, and best eaten while the debate about the final lap is still warm.

Madrid hot chocolate

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (11 g) cornstarch
• 4 oz (115 g) dark chocolate
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (25 to 38 g) sugar
• 1 pinch fine salt

Method

1. In a cup, stir the cornstarch into 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the cold milk until no lumps remain. Starch added straight to hot milk forms lumps, so it always goes in cold first.
2. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) milk into the small saucepan and warm it over medium heat until it steams. Add the chopped chocolate, sugar and salt and whisk until the chocolate melts completely.
3. Stir the cornstarch milk again, pour it into the pan, and whisk steadily over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom and corners, until it thickens. Let it bubble gently for 1 minute to cook out the starchy taste.
4. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, or off with the lid on, and whisk now and then while you make the churros. If it gets too thick, whisk in a splash of milk.

The churros

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (270 ml) water
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (140 g) all purpose flour
• about 6 cups (1.4 liters) sunflower, canola or other neutral oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (25 to 38 g) sugar

Method

1. Pour the frying oil into the heavy pot to a depth of about 2 inches (5 cm), clip on the thermometer, and heat over medium heat toward 375°F (190°C). It takes 10 to 15 minutes, so start it now.
2. In the medium saucepan, bring the water, salt and the teaspoon of olive oil to a full rolling boil over high heat.
3. Take the pan off the heat, tip in all the flour at once, and stir hard with the wooden spoon for about 1 minute, pressing the dough against the side of the pan to work out lumps.
4. Spread the dough in the pan and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes, until you can handle it. Spoon it into the piping bag fitted with the star tip, filling it half full, then twist the top and push the dough down to squeeze out trapped air.
5. Check the oil is at 375°F (190°C). Holding the bag just above the surface, squeeze out a 5 inch (13 cm) length and snip it off with the scissors, letting it drop gently into the oil. Pipe 4 or 5 at a time; crowding the pot cools the oil and makes them greasy.
6. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once halfway with the slotted spoon, until deep gold all over. Lift them out onto the paper towels. Let the oil come back to 375°F (190°C) before the next batch.
7. Serve while hot, with sugar in a small dish for anyone who wants it, in the Madrid manner. When you have finished frying, turn off the heat and leave the oil to cool completely in the pot before you move it.

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