My Churro Shop

It is rare that you find churros in the United States that aren’t homemade. Churros are also known as the cruller or the Spanish donut. Some restaurants do have churros, like Rubios or Costco. I’m talking about a full-service Spanish-Chilean cuisine sit down restaurant, lactose-free bakery, and a Spanish tapas place. I’m also inclined to offer caffeine free tapioca tea, you know, the Chinese kind with the tapioca balls in it. You have to know where to get churros for now. We’d also have sorbet of a few varieties for dessert. You'd have chocolate dipping sauce with the churros.

Churros are supposed to be soft and chewy. They are delicate to make, as you have to fry them. Lactose-free baking, on the other hand, is in its infancy as a discipline. We would use lactose-free milk but not lactose-free butter, although I’m willing to experiment with lactose-free butter as well. We would go on a limb and sell not only apple pie but also empanadas. Spanish omelets would be common fare, as would tapioca ball tea. Lactose-free baking would help those of us who are lactose intolerant enjoy baked goods. I need more help pulling this idea together than I can afford.

Of course, Spanish tapas are hard to find now except at individually owned restaurants. Tapioca ball tea is confined to Asian eateries that sell it. To have it available for people who do not know what it is would make some waves in the culinary world. Spanish tapas can also be found at Thirsty Bear in San Francisco, but that’s all the Spanish tapas I know about since my college years. Churros are not always common even at Spanish restaurants. I want to make churros a commonly available item in the United States. Target has them, but it isn’t the same thing as real Spanish churros I have made at home for myself.

Chilean empanadas are a different type of food altogether. You can find them at the Bean Scene throughout the Bay Area. Empanadas are a meat-filled or cheese-filled pastry. You can also get them with seafood as I’ve had them in Chile before. Tapioca tea, however, does require a plastic straw to be used. With the recent talk of straw bans, we'd need to find straws made of alternative materials. Spanish food comes in varieties. We would also offer croquettes, or croquetas, which are made with olive oil, butter, and milk to make the batter. The mixture has to thicken by cooking it for five minutes.

The croqueta comes from a béchamel base sauce and putting the dumpling into breadcrumbs, which need to be drained. Croquettas are fabulous with patatas bravas, for example. The Spanish omelet is the most common tapas in the world. As a menu item, you make it from eggs and potatoes, which makes it a very simple dish to cook. Tortilla española is the most common dish in Spain. Garlic shrimp is another popular item on a tapas menu. Calamares a La Romana is fried squid rings, also known as calamares fritos. Patatas bravas go with the fried squid very well. They have a spicy component from Tabasco sauce. Ham with cheese and bread is another common appetizer, which serves as a nice snack all by itself. In Spain, I have had grilled octopus, which we would have to buy in the United States to make at all since this is also an import. Chorizo comes from the La Española Meats and Cheeses catalog. I suppose you can buy anchovies in the United States as well. Mussels are another popular Spanish dish that you can get in Spain. We’d have to buy American counterparts but prepare them in the Spanish style.

Works Cited:

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/potato-and-mozzarella-croquettes

https://www.spain-recipes.com/croquetas-jamon.html

https://www.thespruceeats.com/spanish-tapas-recipes-4142159