Valencia & Jamon
Our mentor Joe Moscowitz took us to Valencia to visit Redondo Iglessias "Maestros del Jamon" to learn all about the Spanish cured hams and put us in the hands of Miguel Redondo Hernandez.Our Porkfest started at the at the Palacio de la "Bellota"(The most amazing jamon that I have ever tasted) or the place better known as "La Cathedral del Jamon". There the infamous owner Enbrique Grau Moliner took us through an palate-blowing tour of Spanish cuisine consisting of marinated olives, endless slices of Jamon Bellota and Iberico,the typical Valencia Paella and a dazzling array of Tapas dishes. The next day Miguel showed us the whole process of Jamon making from the slaughter house to the curing rooms.
Then he proceeded to teach me how to debone an Jamon and explained the flavor profiles of different sections of the leg. We learned that the Spaniards are more fond of the part closer to the hoof because of the intensely concentrated flavor as opposed to the section closer to the hip that is fruitier and milder. He was also very kind to give us a set of all the necessary tools and knives for deboning a leg of Jamon. The same day Miguel let me choose 10 of the largest legs of Jamon Serrano which would be aged to perfection and subsequently shipped to me at our store. Needless to say they were the hit of the 04 holiday season for us and we continue to bring in "bone in" jamon of at least two years in age.
Towards the end of our trip Joe took us to the "Mercado Central" where the endless stalls of Jamon with every section of the leg priced differently and the artisanal cheese displays were overwhelming.I could not help asking for tasting at every cheese stall because I was mesmerized with the selection of sheep's milk cheeses of different regions,aging and different altitudes of pastures.Our best find was Torta Las Mil Ovejas from Extramadura.The stall owner was kind enough to connect us with Jose antonio the owner of the dairy which we visited last year and have been successfully importing it since then.