Wake up your taste buds!
Something about spring seems to put a smile on our faces. Perhaps it’s simply because spring holds
the promise of longer days, warmer temperatures and more colorful landscapes. Spring also brings a
refreshing burst of color to our table and flavor to our recipes with flower-like artichokes, sweet tart
grapefruit, bright green sugar snap peas and more.
But let’s face it – most of us would rather spend more time outdoors and less time in the kitchen once
spring rolls around. That’s why our features recipes are easy to make and call for easy-to-find
ingredients. The secret to each recipe, of course, is the addition of gourmet cheese. You’ll find that
just a touch of a high-quality cheese turns ordinary recipes into extraordinary dishes that are
absolutely delicious! We’ve carefully selected each recipe, and each cheese, choosing varieties that
showcase the flavors of their garden counterparts.
Tease your taste buds with our zesty Manchego Shrimp Ceviche.
Then cool off with our Fruity Spring Salad with Bleu d’Auvergne.
Satisfy your craving for lighter fare with our Smoked Salmon, Alouette and Avocado Verrine.
Enjoy the first strawberries of the season stuffed with a rich blue cheese.
Butterflies and blossoms aren’t the only signs of spring. Your own table will reflect the lusciousness of the season… giving you yet one more reason to smile.
Bon appetit!
When Paris Plans Get Sidetracked to Spain.
Oh, the Problems I Have
Cutting the 3 year Jamón Ibérico
When Dr. Seuss says, “Oh, the places you’ll go!” he wasn’t kidding. With my role at ANCO, constant travel is part of my job description. It’s not always easy, but nevertheless I’ve learned to dig it.
Some trips are spur of the moment. When my schedule for fall 2016 included a trip to one of my favorite places in the world – Paris – my year was looking pretty special! Little did I know it was about to go from special to spectacular – with a slight addition to the itinerary: Spain. Just when my plans were firmed up for a pre-Christmas trip to “La Ville-Lumière” (“The City of Lights”), I got a second invitation. Could I, on my way to Paris, spend a few days in Spain? Hmmm. Let me think. Yes.
The invitation came from one of my new favorite vendors: Unearthed. They offer amazing products – products that happen to be some of my favorite foods! Olives, chorizo, pate, Spanish omelets … Unearthed offers those of us on “the other side of the pond” an opportunity to discover a world of flavor not always available to us. I jumped at the chance to meet with them.
Jamón Ibérico air drying facility
The best products are always produced by the most passionate people
That’s what Unearthed has found, anyway. Their manufacturers are often continuing a family tradition that stretches back for generations. Their products are the result of that passion combined with the terroir – the sense of place. Climate, access to the best raw materials, and the depth of local knowledge combine to create the terroir that plays such a large role in the flavor profiles and high quality of Unearthed products.
Arriving in Seville, I found Unearthed’s Head of International Business Development (also a microbiologist), Marco Águas waiting for me and we drove two hours west to his home country of Portugal, to Elvas. Elvas is a Portuguese city with a Gothic cathedral that dates from the reign of Manuel I of Portugal (1495–1521). Elvas is known for its Moorish architecture, its olives and plums. Brandy is distilled and pottery manufactured in the city.
Jamón Ibérico air drying facility
Fish-bowl sized gin and tonics refreshed us as we joined the rest of the team for our week-long adventure into the world of Jamón Ibérico
In the morning, Diego Pastor, Export Director, led a tour to the natural Jamón air-drying facility Señorío de Olivenza in Olivenza. Now Spain, once Portugal and just over the Elvas border the streets still keep both the Portuguese and Spanish names. Here they produce the famous pata negra, or certified DOP Jamón Ibérico, produced from the black-hooved Ibérian pig. This pork is coated in natural sea salt, the only additive and a natural ingredient in preservation. We learned that humidity and temperature greatly affect the outcome of the perfect product, which is aged a minimum of three years.
We headed to lunch, in an historic restaurant in the city center, hosted by Ramón Martín, the owner of the facility I visited and the brand Montaraz. As we arrived and began to chat, we were greeted with glasses of sherry while master carver Jorge sliced three-year Jamón Ibérico paper-thin. After a rich lunch we left for the farm, where we met the next generation of Ibérico Bellota pigs, running free among the oak trees, waiting for the first of the season’s acorns to fall.
Jamón Ibérico
In Spain, the oak forest is called Dehesa
Each pig is allotted a hectare of land on which to roam. It’s here in Montenara season – October to January – when the acorns fall and the pigs get fat.
When you are shopping, take care to support this free-range method of animal farming. Look for “Bellota” or “Cebo de Campo” on the packages. The word “Cebo” alone designates an animal that was not allowed free-range treatment.
Unearthed now carries these and other exciting discoveries that inspire our foodie culture. This “slight addition” to my itinerary turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, an up-close look at one of my new favorite vendors, and a new appreciation of imported foods that Dr. Seuss would appreciate.
Winning parties, winning dishes, …and winning hearts!
Deck your halls with artful serving throughout the holiday season
Italian Fennel and Sun-Dried Tomato Tartlets
Cheese and herb appetizers
The community of cheese lovers
Every Kid Will Fall For
The weather is changing and after-school appetites are always in season. Oktoberfest harvests bring healthy eating fresh fruit, vegetable and cheese combos. Fine imported cheeses are wunderbar for a fun Oktoberfest after-school party for kids. Serve up with apple slices, soft pretzels and root beer. Parmissimo Parmigiano serves up snackable sticks and spreadable wedges. All natural, healthy for kids.
Fun Fact about Oktoberfest: Along with red cabbage and white wursts almost 7 million visitors celebrate in Munich Germany every year for this festival.
Fun Fact about Cheese: Holes in cheese are called eyes. Cheesemakers typically check for proper eye formation by sound – thumping by hand.