real churros

as we made our way through spain we saw "churros" in display cases and through the windows of cafés, but i refused to eat them. to me, real churros are flash fried in the moment that you order them, not grabbed from a case after a few hours of sitting. there is one place that means churros to me: café fútbol in granada. they have a large wok of hot oil and when you order churros they squeeze the dough in giant rings into the oil. the dough flash fries on the outside staying airy and moist on the inside. they scoop the rings out and cut them with giant pastry scissors to form a half dozen strips of golden beauty.

i order churros con chocolate, which is served with hot chocolate. by hot chocolate i do not mean swiss miss. i mean thick milk chocolate pudding served steaming hot and ready for the dipping. the first dip is the best, because the skin that forms on the top of the churros during the walk from the counter to the table, which at café fútbol includes crossing a fairly busy one way street, adheres to the churro making an even thicker layer of chocolate.

do not be fooled by the pre-made glass case churro posers. accept no substitutes. oh, did i mention this is a breakfast food? a breakfast after which you need a nap.