The Ultimate Gift Guide For Food Lovers And Cooks
Shopping for cooks and food fans is no easy task: They're known for collecting every cookbook, tool and hot new "it" product they desire, all on their own. So here's the secret: Give the gifts they didn't even know they wanted, special items that go beyond the everyday necessities. Whether it's a set of sparkling aqua canning jars, a stunning coffee table book of food photography, or the classic stand mixer on everyone's bucket list, we've got just the right picks for your favorite food-loving friend.
Check out our favorite picks below, and let us know what's on your wish list . . .
. . .15-Inch Traditional Steel Paella Pan, $25
As cooks, we want to buy EVERYTHING in the cookware category, but sometimes we have to compromise. This is one of those luxury items that we’d normally never buy for ourselves, which makes it the perfect gift to receive.
Buy it here
Stop Buying Fruitcakes. These Culinary Experts Have the Best Foodie Gift Ideas
Not sure what to get the traveling foodie on your list this year? We’ve called in chefs, artisanal shop owners, and sommeliers to help you find the ultimate gift guide for the food-lover in your life.
Chef Michael Chiarello of Bottega, Napa Valley
I’M ASKING FOR: Gins from my friends' travels for my home gin and tonic bar. Each G&T combination can taste dramatically different, so I would love to stock my bar with a variety of options. Gins at the top of my wish list are Bloom Gin from Spain, Monkey 47 from Germany, and Caorunn from Scotland.
I’M GIVING FRIENDS AND FAMILY: I'm trying to keep things Spanish this year, so I plan to give handblown glass porrons from La Tienda. They're made of recycled glass and a great gift for anyone who enjoys wine.
MY TRAVEL STAPLE IS: I always carry gray salt for my meals. It's packed with minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which satisfies a salt craving more than table salt. Gray salt also brings out the natural flavors of a dish without losing its moisture. It can be purchased at most supermarkets and specialty stores including Williams-Sonoma.
GREAT IDEA FOR FOOD LOVERS: For my closest friends, I'll be giving legs of Iberico Jamon. It's a treasure in Spanish cuisine and can be enjoyed for quite some time. It's the gift that keeps on giving. My favorite is the Reserva Jamon by Fermín.
......
Holiday Gift Guide: 46 Foodie Must-Buys
With the holiday season just around the corner, you may be starting to stress about what items you're buying (and asking for) this year. Below we've selected 46 food- and drink-related gifts, in a variety of price ranges, to give you a head start. From cookbooks, to booze, kitchen tools, gift sets and more, check out our suggestions in the slide show (and we sincerely hope you trick someone in your life with a sriracha candy cane - see slide 7).
Slide #4
Entire Jamón Ibérico Leg
Ever since we studied abroad in Seville, Spain, where it's completely normal to have a whole jamón leg sitting around the house on a special carver, we've wanted to re-create this porky phenomenon back home in the U.S. And while we've never really have $1,200 to shell out on this kind of purchase (the exchange rate really bites back at the moment), if you do, and if you have someone in your life who would carve slices off this fine specimen from the Cinco Jotas brand every day and savor the salty, fatty, acorn-fed deliciousness, then this is pretty much the gift of a lifetime - especially since you probably also need to buy them a carver, knife and lesson on how to slice. It's all worth it when you taste this stuff.
$1,290.00 at La Tienda
2013 Divertida Gift Guide
Does mami need gold accents for her casa? Could prima use sexy scents in her room? Fun decor regalitos:
La Tienda Tapas Plates
Savory sips, tasty bites, and cool cocina finds for everyone on your list - from the foodie to abuelita - will flip for!
Sunday cena: Peregrino Palla kit and pan
Queso lover: La Tienda Cheese Board with tools
Iberian Ham and Artichoke Rice
Pablo Montero
This paella-like dish from Chef Pablo Montero of Refectorio at Le Domaine in Ribera del Duero is full of intensely flavorful ingredients, like Ibérico ham.
ACTIVE: 1 HR
TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 45 MIN
SERVINGS: 6
STAFF-FAVORITE
This paella-like dish from chef Pablo Montero is full of intensely flavorful ingredients, like Ibérico ham. (You can substitute serrano ham, which is less expensive.)
1 lemon, halved
3 large artichokes
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons hazelnuts
1 cup finely chopped onion
6 ounces very thinly sliced dry-cured ham, such as jamon Ibérico or serrano, 4 ounces finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes—halved, seeded and finely chopped
4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups Bomba or Calasparra rice (see Note)
1/2 cup lightly packed parsley
1/2 small garlic clove
Preheat the oven to 400°. Squeeze some of the juice from the lemon halves into a large bowl of water. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, snap off the dark green outer leaves. Holding the artichoke on its side, using a serrated knife, cut off all but 3/4 inch of the remaining leaves. Peel and trim the bottom and stem of the artichoke. Halve the artichoke and scoop out the furry choke with a spoon. Cut the artichoke hearts in half again, rub with the lemon and add to the bowl of lemon water. Repeat with the remaining artichokes. Drain the artichokes and pat dry.
In a large ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the artichokes and a generous pinch of salt. Cook over moderate heat, tossing occasionally, until just starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover and steam the artichokes until just tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer the artichokes to a plate and wipe out the skillet.
Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate and toast for about 7 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool slightly, transfer the nuts to a kitchen towel and rub off the skins.
In the large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just softened, 5 minutes. Add the chopped ham and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture thickens, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer; keep hot.
Add the rice to the skillet and stir to coat with the tomato mixture. Stir in the hot stock, spread the rice in an even layer and bring to a boil. Nestle the artichokes in the rice. Cover and bake for about 20 minutes, until most of the stock is absorbed. Uncover the skillet and bake for about 10 minutes longer, until the stock is completely absorbed and the rice is tender but moist. Remove the skillet from the oven, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the parsley, hazelnuts and garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of oil and puree until nearly smooth. Season the parsley sauce with salt. Serve the rice straight from the skillet, drizzled with the parsley sauce and topped with the sliced ham.
NOTES Bomba and Calasparra rice are available at specialty food stores or tienda.com.
SUGGESTED PAIRING
This hearty recipe is a great match for bold, berry-rich red wine.
11 things to know before visiting Spain
By Fiona Dunlop
World-renowned chef, best-selling author and Emmy-winning television personality Anthony Bourdain has returned for a second season of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown." The new season premiered with a visit to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. In the second episode, airing at 9 p.m. ET September 22, Bourdain visits Spain. Follow the show on Twitter and Facebook.
(CNN) -- It's got what many believe is the greatest club football team ever assembled -- FC Barcelona.
Not to mention one of the planet's greatest collections of art -- at the Prado museum in Madrid.
Then there's the food, which this year we suggested was the greatest cuisine in the world right now.
What makes Spain such a cultural powerhouse?
Size doesn't hurt. It's Western Europe's second-largest country (after France) in terms of area, and the world's third-largest exporter of wine, fruits and vegetables.
Bourdain watches bullfighting in Spain Bourdain enjoys flamenco in Spain
Think you know tapas?
But it's the incredible diversity of its people and passions that holds the key to understanding Spain's eternal appeal.
1. There are many Spains
During the grim decades of the fascist Francisco Franco's rule, regional languages such as Basque, Catalan and Galician were banned in Spain.
On the dictator's death in 1975, a new, ultra-liberal constitution broke up Castilian centralism by handing over sweeping autonomy to the 17 regions.
The result was a reinvigorated sense of regional pride that had a ripple effect on every form of culture.
That's why street signs and menus sometimes come in unfamiliar dialects and languages such as Gallego (Galicia), which closely resembles Portuguese; Bable (Asturias); Catalan in Catalonia, the Balearics and Valencia; and Basque (possibly Europe's oldest language), which remains an unfathomable mystery of x's, k's and z's.
2. Bulls are a unifying force
Despite the diversity, Spain has at least one common thread: bulls.
The bull is Spain's iconic animal, and you won't miss seeing at least one -- alive, dead or fake.
They famously thunder through the streets of Pamplona each July and snort and kick round the bull rings of Madrid, Seville and countless smaller towns.
They also appear on hilltops beside motorways and in a decades-old advertisement for Osborne sherry. Many a stuffed bull's head watches over a bar interior, where aficionados might be glued to a televised bullfight and later scan a review of the fight in the arts, not sports, section of the newspaper.
There are areas of resistance to what some see as a barbaric event.
The popularity of the bloody contest is waning among the younger generation, and Catalonia has now banned the sport completely.
3. Spaniards don't eat when you normally do
Lunch is from 2 p.m. onward, and dinner comes after 10 p.m.
If you're hungry in between or can't reset your body clock, there's help -- tapas and pintxo bars (pintxo is the Basque equivalent of tapas) open around midday and again around 7 p.m. In some bars, a snack still comes free with a glass of beer, sherry or wine, but some places now charge.
San Sebastian is Spain's gourmet capital, not only for top restaurants but also pintxo bars.
You can make a meal on exquisite miniature dishes and glasses of txakoli (a lightly sparkling dry white wine), Rioja or cider.
4. There's coastline beyond the Costa del Sol
On the Costa del Sol, tales of rampant overpricing and badly designed hotels conflict with the glam, moneyed image of Marbella.
The eastern Mediterranean coast is better known for low-cost tourism.
But there are still unspoiled beaches where development and commercialism are largely absent. One of Spain's rare volcanic regions, Cabo de Gata is a protected area in the southeast, where black-sand beaches sit beneath Arab watchtowers, monumental rocks and cactus-studded hills.
In the southwest, the sandy beaches south of Cadiz are superb for windsurfing.
In the north, attractive coves and fishing harbors edge the Bay of Biscay.
5. It snows in the olive groves
Andalucia isn't all shorts and T-shirts.
In winter, snows falls at higher elevations, sometimes bringing a surreal vision of olive groves blanketed in white.
The peninsula's highest mountain range, the Sierra Nevada is almost permanently snow-capped, creating the perfect scenic backdrop to the Alhambra, the famed Moorish fortress and palace.
In spring, wildflowers colonize the slopes, while in the valleys the last olives are harvested.
6. Life is just a series of fiestas
Frenetic music, food, booze, dance and dressing up make saints' festivals a highlight of the year in Spain, even in the tiniest of villages.
The quirky Spanish imagination -- Pedro Almodovar's movies exemplify it, as do Salvador Dalí's paintings -- gives birth to the parade of grotesque papier mache figures in Valencia's Las Fallas festival and the giant annual tomato fight in the town of Bunol.
Seekers of peace and quiet might want to avoid Hellin, in Castile-La Mancha, when 10,000 drummers play for several days.
Those of a nervous disposition might steer clear of Ribarteme, in Galicia, when survivors of near-death experiences parade through the tiny village in open-top coffins.
When wild horses are corralled in Sabucedo, wine flows all night during La Rioja's grape harvest or flamenco singers carouse into the early hours during Seville's Feria de Abril, you know you can only be in Spain.
7. Under many a church lurks a mosque
Bell towers crowning Spain's churches and cathedrals may appear Catholic, but if you look closely you might discern the form of a minaret, especially in places such as Seville and Cordoba.
Iberia's convoluted history brought a succession of invaders and religions, meaning many places of worship were rebuilt using the stones and structures of their predecessors.
Roman temples lie deep below, later overlaid by churches, then Islamic mosques and, finally, after the total reconquest of the peninsula in 1492, Christian churches again.
The ultimate symbol is Cordoba's eighth-century Mezquita-Catedral, one of the largest mosques in the world, with a cathedral parachuted into its heart.
8. Easter is more important than Christmas
Easter week (Semana Santa) is easily more important than Christmas in Spain.
The whole country shuts down for four days from Holy Thursday at 1 p.m., a rare example of punctuality.
Day and night, swaying processions of impassioned penitents in tall hoods and flowing robes advance to a hypnotic drumbeat, carrying crucifixes and weighty life-size statues of agonizing Christ figures and weeping virgins on pasos (floats), while flickering torchlight adds to the electric atmosphere.
Andalucian pageants are more animated, with stirring saetas -- spontaneous wails of passion. In the north, although the pattern of parish brotherhoods is similar, the atmosphere is more solemn.
9. There are many layers of ham
Ham scams have become so widespread in Spain that recent legislation introduced new definitions for ham quality.
Jamon is a gastro-passion throughout Spain, inspiring fierce rivalry between producers.
The most velvety, expensive and sought after variety is jamon Iberico de bellota, from acorn-fed, indigenous black pigs reared in four specific regions: the Sierra de Huelva mountains, in western Andalucia; Extremadura; Guijuelo, near Salamanca, and Los Pedroches, north of Cordoba.
At the bottom of the table is jamon serrano, produced industrially from white pigs yet still palatable.
10. Catalonia may not be part of Spain much longer
Catalans speak another language, have their own flag, are fanatical about cured sausages, nurtured the showman-chef Ferran Adria (of late el Bulli), build acrobatic people-pyramids and, traditionally, dance rather slowly.
They're gunning for independence from Spain, with a referendum in the cards for 2014.
What they're good at is architecture, art and food -- elements that combine with dazzling grace in Barcelona.
11. You can stay in monasteries -- without taking vows
Back in 1928, the Spanish government decided to rescue its crumbling monuments by converting them into grand hotels, or paradors.
These castles, monasteries or palaces in atmospheric old towns or tranquil rural spots soon acquired conquistador-style interiors and a faithful clientele -- there are now 93 throughout the country.
The pick of the bunch may be the Hostal dos Reis Catolicos, in Santiago de Compostela -- it started life in 1499 as a hostel-turned-hospital for exhausted and sick pilgrims after their 500-mile walk from the Pyrenees.
The pilgrims' goal was the spectacular cathedral next door, allegedly home to the relics of St. James.
Beware of loud clanging bells.
Fiona Dunlop is the author of "New Tapas," "Real Tapas" and "National Geographic Spain." She blogs at fionadunlop.com.
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown"
North America/Latin America
Premiere episodes: Sundays, 9 p.m. ET
Replays: Saturdays, 9 p.m. ET
Asia/South Asia
Premiere episodes: Mondays, 9 a.m. HKT
Replays: Fridays,10 p.m. HKT; Sundays, 9 a.m. HKT
Make Paella This Weekend!
Make Paella This Weekend!
In yesterday's blog, I mentioned that my guests and I feasted on an incredibly delicious paella while vacationing at Skylands, my home in Maine. I thought it would be fun to show you a step-by-step of the process. For even cooking, it's important to use a traditional paella pan, which is round and flat with shallow sides. I purchased the giant one in these photos at an amazing store in the Soho section of Manhattan called Despaña, which offers the finest products from Spain. Another place I like to shop for Spanish products and ingredients is La Tienda. You can find this paella recipe by clicking here and you can watch a video of Chef Pierre Schaedelin and me making this very paella by clicking here.
Padron Peppers: How To Play Spicy, Spanish Tapas Roulette
Looking for a quick party snack? How about a quick party trick? Just to be safe, we've got both all at once. Padron peppers, or pimientos de padrón, are a thin-skinned, Spanish pepper from Galicia. They also happen to be one of our favorite things to eat on earth, not only because they are delicious, but because they are exciting.
Padron peppers have been called "Spanish roulette." Don't worry, they're not going to do you bodily harm, but they'll probably burn your mouth. The great thing about Padron peppers is that some of them are sweet, tart and verdant without any heat whatsoever, and then some of them contain the fire of hell. You never know which one you'll get, which makes eating them pretty fun at a party. Each of your guests will alternately ooh and aah over their flavor, texture and general deliciousness -- but then occasionally, one of their faces will change to abject panic, they'll wave their hand over their mouth futilely and everyone can enjoy the show. Sound like kind of a mean way to have fun? You must not love hot peppers then.
Hands-down, the best way to eat Padron peppers is to blister them quickly in a bit of very hot olive oil, just until the skin starts to turn dark brown. Then, sprinkle liberally with coarse salt. That's it. Sometimes we like to squeeze a little lemon over, or sprinkle on a bit of smoked paprika. If you want to mellow the peppers just a little with some creamy cheese from their hometown, check out our Spanish foods spirit-guide, Jose Andres, stuff Padron peppers with Tetilla cheese.
Listen to Jose. For the love of all that is holy, do not try to de-seed these things. You'll go crazy. If you don't live in a place where you can find Padron peppers (they pop up in farmer's markets in late summer -- hot pepper season), you can pick some up on Spanish specialty food site, La Tienda.
Cooking Tips: These Ingredients Will Make Meals Taste Better
Everyone is looking for the simple things they can do to make their cooking as good as it can be, us included. For the most part, the cooking tips that make the biggest difference are practice-based: confidence in the kitchen, knife skills, sense memory. But those things take time, and sometimes what we're looking for is a quick trick that will help immediately. We've got ten of them for you today.
The quickest way to eating better tasting food is to use better ingredients. But which ones? And what does better really mean? Does it mean you have to drop a whole paycheck at the grocery store? No way, dudes. No way. We've got 10 simple ingredients that will make you a better cook, asap.
1. Good Olive Oil
You know what cheap olive oil tastes like? Oil. You know what good olive oil tastes like? Olives, flowers, sunshine.
Good olive oil doesn't have to be insanely expensive. In fact, we don't even use the ultra-expensive stuff. What you want is something somewhere in between that can still do the heavy lifting of sautéing and marinating, but also tastes good as a finishing drizzle over soups, vegetables, pasta dishes etc. What we're really into right now: California Olive Ranch's Everyday California Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
2. Good Butter
Good, European style butter will make everything from pancakes to grilled cheese to plain old bread and butter taste even better. Usually, the more yellow the butter, the better it will taste, because cow's milk turns yellow when the cows have been grazing on grass. Which is what you want. Good butter is usually a little bit more expensive than the regular stuff, but it's totally worth it. What we're really into right now: Kerrygold, Plugra and Celles Sur Belle for special occasions.
3. Kosher Salt
There is one simple, true answer to why we prefer kosher salt: it's easier to work with. The big salt crystals make it easier to pick up, control and also melt slower for more even seasoning. Some of us swear we can detect the iodine in table salt, but we'll leave that up to you. Also, table salt is still best for baking since it disperses better. The best news is: it's not expensive, so free upgrade. What we're really into right now (and forever and ever): Morton's Kosher Salt.
4. Fresh Black Pepper
The powdery, pre-ground stuff in a tin box is stale and gross. Let's all admit that. Buy some whole black peppercorns from a place that specializes in spices. Then get yourself a sturdy pepper-grinder and introduce them. Then you'll realize why nearly every recipe calls for salt AND pepper. In fact, even buying peppercorns in a grinder at the supermarket will be better than pre-ground.
5. Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs will make your food taste better almost immediately. Dried herbs have their place, but ground up, dried basil leaves will never compare to the taste of the fresh ones. Same goes for parsley, oregano, thyme, almost everything. Fresh herbs are often less expensive than dried ones, and you never have to worry that they've been sitting in the cabinet for three years.
6. Good Vinegars
Just like olive oil, the difference between good vinegar and the generic stuff is pretty staggering. This is especially true when talking about red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar and balsamic vinegar. Your caprese salads are going to thank you. What we're really into right now: Fini Balsamic Vinegar, Pedro Romero Prestige Reserva Sherry Vinegar.
7. Dried Beans
Don't run away. We're not saying you should be using dried beans every single time you want to make chili or a burrito. But, when you're making a bean salad, a pot of beans and greens, minestrone, etc., taking the time to coax deliciousness out of dried beans is an incredibly good use of your time. As an added bonus, dried beans are usually WAY cheaper than their canned counterparts. Here's how we work with dried beans.
8. Fresh Citrus/Zest
Please, please, please hear us say this: the stuff in a bottle isn't the same as the real thing. Even the best orange juice from a bottle won't taste the same as the juice straight from the fruit. Plus, with fresh citrus, you get the added bonus of being able to use the citrus zest, which imparts the fruit's natural oils into every ounce of your dish.
9. Real Parmesan/Parmigiano-Reggiano
shredded parmesan
YES.
10. Homemade Stock
Not only do you get to be in control of the exact flavors, aromas, salt-level and ingredients, making stock at home is also a great way to use up leftover vegetable and kitchen scraps. Here's how we make our own stock -- we promise it's worth it.
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Tapas Recipes: Our Favorite Spanish Small Plates
We've often said that we never really get full, we just get tired of eating one thing. That's why we're such passionate advocates for snacking. We've done a lot of thinking about this, and we're pretty sure that no food culture understands snacking quite as expertly as the Spanish. So, Spain, thank you so much for tapas.
Tapas, Spanish small plates that are ubiquitous at bars and restaurants from Barcelona to Madrid to New York, are one of our favorite things to eat and cook. The legend goes that the first tapas were pieces of bread or cured meat that drinkers and diners would use to cover their sherry glasses, protecting them from fruit flies. That this cover (literally "tapa" in Spanish) just happened to be edible is further proof that Spain is our eating spirit animal (country). Now, tapas can be cold marinated olives, cheeses and cured meats, slices of tortilla (the Spanish eggy version), or get more complicated with braised morcilla (blood sausage -- definitely don't knock it till you try it), stuffed peppers, fried croquetas, etc. We've rounded up a few of our favorite tapas recipes to give you an idea of the best of the best. What's your favorite tapa?
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10 Easy Pieces: Paella Pans
No traditional Spanish kitchen is complete without a paella pan, said to be one of the keys to creating Spain's beloved dish. The best paella pans are shallow (for efficient evaporation of liquids), have a broad surface (for sauteing and browning), sloped sides (to increase the surface area while still allowing enough volume to add necessary liquids), and are made of quality materials (for even heat distribution). Plus, the signature double handles of paella pans are great for carrying and table serving.
Our selections feature 13-to-17-inch diameter pans that serve between six and ten people, and which work on most stovetops (including induction), ovens, barbecues, and even over open fires. Not in a Spanish state-of-mind? Paella pans are perfect for jambalayas, stir-frys, and pastas as well.
For a fun take on Paella and a few good recipes, see the New York Times piece: Paella, by Land and Sea. Grab a glass of sangria and read on.
Garcima Paella Pan, Remodelista
The classic Spanish Garcima Traditional Steel 17-Inch Paella Pan features a dimpled surface for even heat distribution. Economical and effective, it requires some maintenance: hand-washing and seasoning with oil to prevent rust. Available for $34 at La Tienda (smaller and larger size options are available).
Garcima Heavy Duty Paella Pan, Remodelista
Garcima offers the same traditional pan in a professional version that is made of double gauge steel that resists warping and stands up to heavy use. The 18-inch Garcima Pata Negra Paella Pan is $52 at La Tienda.
Paderno Black Steel Paella Pan, Remodelista
The Paderno World Cuisine 15.75-inch Paella Pan is made of black steel and offers upturned handles and sides that are a bit higher than the classic Spanish paella pan; $46.90 at Amazon.
Lodge Paella Pan, Remodelista
The 15-Inch Lodge Paella Pan is made of heavy gauge carbon steel that heats rapidly and adjusts quickly to changing cooking temperatures. Made in the US, the pan comes factory seasoned with natural soy bean oil; $75.71 at Amazon.
Enameled Paella Pans, Remodelista
Enameled pans are favored for their rust resistance and ease of care. The Spanish-made Enameled Steel Paella Pan is available in many sizes, including the 17-inch version (the largest that will fit into a standard oven) priced at $34 at the Spanish Table.
Staub Paella Pan, Remodelista
The enameled cast iron Staub Paella Pan works equally well indoors or out. Made in France, it measures 15.5 inches in diameter; $199.95 at Williams Sonoma.
All Clad Paella Pan, Remodelista
All-Clad offers a slightly smaller paella pan with a lid. The All-Clad Stainless Steel 13-Inch Paella Pan is $209.95 at Wayfair.
Mauviel Professional Copper Paella Pan, Remodelista
The most handsome in the stovetop-to-tabletop category, the Mauviel Professional Copper Paella Pan is made of heavy gauge 2.5mm-thick copper lined with stainless steel. This professional-grade pan is made in France and features riveted cast-iron handles; 16 inches in diameter; $530 at Williams Sonoma. A thinner gauge home-grade 1.5mm-thick copper Mauviel Copper 15-Inch Paella Pan is available for $410.
Mauviel Hammered Steel Paella Pan, Remodelista
New from Mauviel is the hammered-steel Mauviel M'elite Paella Pan that is dishwasher safe; $199.95 for the 15.7-inch size at Sur La Table.
Paella Cookbook by Alberto Herraiz
Inspired? Let Alberto Herraiz' Paella Cookbook be your guide; $26.63 at Amazon.
Tastes of Tradition
Pull off Jamestown Road in Williamsburg and you’re transported to a tiny piece of Spain in the heart of everything Colonial, a place where you can sample the best of what the country has to offer, get to know the store’s friendly staff and, if you’re lucky, meet the family behind the inviting shop and the international business behind it. You’ll be greeted by a historic, vine-covered building flanked by aged wine barrels. Spanish and American flags flap side by side in the wind.
The location was once a museum and then a shop for famed potter J. Palin Thorley – whose ghost is rumored by La Tienda’s staff to still wander the building’s creaking wood floors at night, occasionally disturbing the racks of terra cotta cazuela dishes stacked in the kitchen – before the place became an eatery, the Whitehall Restaurant.
La Tienda’s retail store debuted there in November 2009, giving a home to the Spanish foods, wines and kitchenware the Harris family had sold online for 13 years.
Step inside and find sunlit rooms of Spanish delicacies displayed on simple wood shelves and antique counters. Flamenco music piped through speakers or played live by a guitarist provides the backdrop. There are jars of marinated olives and roasted Marcona almonds and racks of cheese, jamón (cured ham) and chorizo sausage. Stacks of books offer the secrets to crafting homemade paella, a traditional Spanish dish made with rice, saffron and seafood or sausage. And in the back room, a map of Spain helps wine enthusiasts pinpoint the origins of the store’s varied vintages.
But the cozy store is more than a grocery; it’s a hub for friends and family to gather for wine and food tastings, cooking lessons and, on Fridays and Saturdays, a meal of paella or tapas.
La Tienda, Williamsburg VA, Distinction Magazine, Distinctionhr, Spanish Food, Tapas, Sandwiches
On a warm spring day, La Tienda’s patriarch and co-founder, Don Harris, sits down for the store’s newest venture, Saturday tapas, on the shop’s sun-filled patio. He is just home from a Spanish voyage to taste what was rumored to be the country’s best bread, a pan de Cea from Galicia, a coastal region on the country’s northwest tip.
He isn’t impressed.
“I don’t think it’s the best bread in the world,” he says, munching on thin slices of jamón and tomato layered with olive oil on slices of crusty ciabatta.
He waxes poetic about his first trip to Spain, his love for the Spanish culture and the origin of the family business.
Nearly 50 years before, a younger Harris left the small and stagnant hallways of the Navy destroyer that over several long weeks had carried him and his fellow sailors across the Atlantic, and stepped onto the Spanish shore. It was March 1965, and a salty, warm breeze greeted the 29-year-old chaplain. He spent the next few days wandering the streets of Valencia, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Rota, taking in the architecture of the Spanish villas and, for the first time, savoring the fresh tapas – small plates of food – offered by the local bars and cafés.
Harris wrote back to his bride, Ruth, whom he had left alone in Norfolk besieged by boxes after the Navy unexpectedly called the couple from D.C. and deployed him to the Mediterranean. He told her of his adventures, carefully choosing his words to soften the sting of their honeymoon cut short. They had been married just a few months. He told her that, somehow, Spain felt like home. And so began a lifelong affair with a country the Harrises grew to love for its beauty, its warmth and its focus on family.
"Spain is food and family,” he says. “And the key to it all, I believe, is the way they treat their children; they’re cherished from the moment they’re born.”
The newlyweds returned together after the deployment and eventually moved to Rota – a small town in Cadiz near the country’s southern tip – for a naval tour after the birth of their first two sons, Tim and Jonathan. Their third, Christopher, would have a Spanish birth certificate, declaring him an Hijo de la Raza, a son of the race.
The family would move more than two dozen times before settling in Williamsburg, the home of the alma mater of all four Harris boys, the College of William & Mary.
The end of Harris’ naval career after 27 years left him wondering what to do next. The answer presented itself in the colorful Moorish tiles the family had brought with them from Spain. He and Jonathan opened a store and website to sell the tiles, but soon learned there was a bigger appetite for Spanish foods.
They switched gears, and in 1996 the La Tienda website was born.
Launched about a year after Amazon, the site was fueled by the rising power of the Internet – which allowed the Harrises to reach customers all over the country at relatively little cost – and by an especially acute hunger for one product: jamón.
So big was the appetite for the artisanal ham that Americans were willing to pay $200 each for a spot on La Tienda’s waiting list to reserve one of the prized pigs, a jamón Serrano, which today sells for about $300, says Jonathan Harris, now the company’s president and creative director.
At that time, the U.S. prohibited retailers from importing jamón because of concerns over swine fever and Spanish production regulations, he says. But the Harrises felt the political tides changing, and so started “the drama of waiting for the ham.”
It lasted about two years, with the first Serrano hams coming into the country around 1998, Jonathan Harris says. Soon the Harrises’ Williamsburg basement, which served as La Tienda’s headquarters and warehouse, was strung with hams, which the father-son duo shipped whole to customers or took to a slicer in Surry to divide into smaller packages. Today, jamón is still one of La Tienda’s biggest sellers.
The Kobe beef of ham is the Cinco Jotas (five J’s) jamón Ibérico de Bellota, made from the Ibérico breed of noble Spanish black pigs. The spoiled swine live free-range in the Andalusia region of southern Spain, breeding and feeding only on bellotas, acorns, until they are “sacrificed,” salted, washed and hung to cure for up to three years.
The result is a marbled jamón that sells for nearly $1,300. It’s a ham that’s too good to risk in a machine, and Cinco Jotas trains its slicers to hand-carve the jamón into paper-thin cuts that melt on the tongue and leave a smooth, nutty aftertaste.
Americans understand the water-infused, sugar-glazed variety of ham served on Easter, but persuading them to spend $25 for a 3-ounce package of months- or years-old meat can be a challenge, says Tim Harris, who joined his father and brother in 2002 and is now La Tienda’s chief executive officer.
It’s a challenge to which La Tienda and its partner, Cinco Jotas, are rising by showing their customers exactly what goes into every package. On this visit, two slicers from Cinco Jotas delicately shave samples from a paleta, a shoulder, held in a bracket in the center of La Tienda.
“Would you like to try some ham?” offers Frances Bell-Cabrera, a sales and marketing coordinator based in New York.
“Do I just grab it?” asks Sandy Babski, a La Tienda regular.
“Yes, that’s the Spanish way.”
Babski takes a slice between two fingers and gingerly places it on her tongue.
“What do you think?” asks Bell-Cabrera in her New York Spanish accent.
“I like it,” Babski says. “It’s almost like prosciutto, but better, much better.”
In the back, the Harris trio – Don, Jonathan and Tim – entertain representatives from the company with wine and tapas. To an onlooker, it looks more like a family gathering than a corporate event as they talk in Spanish and English about shopping, exercise and, of course, food.
“They said they don’t understand why Americans get up early to exercise,” explains Jonathan Harris, leaning over an emptied bottle of Spanish red wine. “They think that’s weird.”
The reps say they are on a mission to buy Levi’s jeans and Timberland shoes, which sell at high mark-ups overseas, before they return home.
“Oh, you have to go to the outlets,” Tim Harris chimes in. “They have everything.”
The transaction is indicative of the relationships the Harris family forges with their vendors and staff.
They travel to Spain each year to visit producers and search for new ones. They’re always on the hunt for the best quality, they say, with a preference for fair-trade practices and humane treatment of animals.
Every product has a story – that crusty bread baked in Galicia, a buttery Manchego discovered by Jonathan on a trip to Trujillo, an aromatic saffron hand-picked by villagers in La Mancha.
Today La Tienda has grown to two warehouses – one just up the interstate in Toano and one in Spain – and nearly 50 employees. But it does more than sell Spanish delicacies; it’s an ambassador of Spain to America. On its Learning @ La Tienda site, the company offers free study guides, photos and flash cards on Spanish cuisine. La Tienda also hosts classes and events to stoke Virginians’ interest in everything Spanish. In 2012, with the help of actress Penélope Cruz and culinary expert Annie Sibonney, the company’s Campaign for Spain raised $50,000 for Spanish food banks.
Its efforts have landed La Tienda on the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and drawn awards from unexpected sources, such as the Commission on Adult Basic Education. Last year, the Spanish ambassador to the United States presented Don Harris with the country’s Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit, an honor afforded by the king of Spain.
The La Tienda experience brings regular customers back week after week and draws longtime patrons of the La Tienda website on pilgrimages from across the country.
On this sunny spring day, as Don Harris sits on his store’s patio 4,000 miles from the European shore, a bearded customer on a crutch pops his head out the back door. His eyes alight on the spectacled, white-haired Harris.
“I don’t want to interrupt your lunch,” he says, approaching slowly. “My name is Karl Bock and I’ve been ordering from you for years. I just wanted to say thank you.”
“Well, thank you,” Harris replies, wiping
his hands on a napkin and extending one to Bock, who says he is a chef from Charlottesville who lived in Spain in the ’70s when his father was stationed there for the Navy. He’s traveled to Williamsburg for the weekend and La Tienda was a must-see, he says.
In the back kitchen, self-trained chef Cynthia Hermann prepares more tapas for a mix of loyal customers and La Tienda first-timers. She is backed by retail store manager Charlene Camroux.
Hermann pulls a baking sheet of crispy papas – potatoes drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and, the most important ingredient, smoked paprika – from the oven. Camroux plucks one from the tray and dabs it in a small pool of salsa brava and garlic aioli, popping the wedge into her mouth.
“Oh, this is so good,” she coos.
“I think I’m just looking for a carrier for the aioli,” Hermann replies, her hands on her waist. “That’s all I’m working from.”
Saturday tapas is the newest offering at La Tienda, beginning in the spring after months of trial and error by Hermann. Diners expecting a pages-long menu like those offered at more modern tapas restaurants may be disappointed. There are only a handful of offerings on La Tienda’s menu. The goal is quality, not quantity, Hermann says.
And quality is the result, with Hermann quickly sending out plates piled with gooey Manchego cheese fried in olive oil, golden shrimp sautéed in garlic and crispy sandwiches filled with roasted seasonal vegetables.
The small plates are reminiscent of those served by Spanish bars, which each offer a specialty alongside small cañas of beer, Jonathan Harris says.
“Authenticity is the most important,” Hermann says, putting the final touches on a cold tapas
platter of olives, jamón and cheese. “We wanted to bring an authentic piece of Spain here for people to try.”
