The Spanish Word on Pasta
Janet Mendel
If you think pasta belongs only to the Italians and noodles to the Asians, think again. In Spain, pasta talks Spanish and the word is fideos (fee-DAY-ohs). Fideos (fideus in Catalan) are thin, round noodles, the sort you might put in chicken-noodle soup. They range in thickness from threads of angel hair to spaghetti-like cords. Fideos go into soups, casseroles and -- surprise -- even paella.
Spanish fideo noodles, like many pastas, are made of durum wheat and water, rolled, cut and dried. But they are prepared quite differently than Italian-style pasta. For one thing, sometimes the dry pasta is first toasted in olive oil. Next, instead of being cooked in a pot of boiling water, then being sauced, the fideos cook right in the sauce, soaking up the flavors. And "al dente" is not a Spanish approach! Fideos are cooked until completely tender and toothsome.
Fideos are packaged coiled into nests (in which case you break them into short lengths before cooking) or else conveniently cut into 1-inch pieces. They are milled in thicknesses from 0 (less than 1/16 inch) to 4 (slightly less than 1/8 inch). The thinnest ones, the same as capellini or angel's hair, are used in soups. The thicker ones, for which spaghetti is a good substitute, are for casseroles or paella. There also is a 1/2-inch elbow fideo with a pinhole through it. It's thicker than a 4 fideo, but cooks in the same time because it's hollow.
In the beginning there were fideos -- simple, hand-rolled cords of dough cooked in liquid -- which may have been invented by the Greeks or the Persians or the Arabs, according to Alan Davidson's "Oxford Companion to Food." Probably both Spain and Italy received their pasta legacy from the Arabs, who invaded parts of both countries between the 8th and 9th Centuries. In the ensuing centuries Italians put more twists on the simple flour and water paste, while Spaniards kept the purity of the fideo. Fideos have come down to modern times also in Sephardic Jewish cookery, which includes recipes for fidellos.
Spain's classic fideo dish is cazuela, a casserole cooked in a flameproof earthenware pot, also called a cazuela. The casserole can include seafood or pork and sausages. The noodles are served in the pot.
But, how did pasta get into paella? The word "paella" refers to the pan: a wide, shallow, two-handled frying pan in which the famous rice dish is cooked.
The story goes that a bunch of friends set off for the beach to make a festive outdoor paella. Someone forgot the rice, so they improvised with noodles. Well, maybe. Or maybe it happened the other way around: A busy housewife starts out to make a typical cazuela de fideos, pasta cooked in an earthenware casserole. When she accidentally cracks the crock, she reaches for a paella pan to replace the cazuela.
In cooking fideos it's a good idea to add the liquid in two or three stages. The finished noodles should be juicy with sauce, but never soupy.
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Where to buy fideos
We found fideos and other Spanish ingredients online at the specialty-foods site La Tienda, tienda.com. A three-pack is $10.
Fish with pasta paella
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 48 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Use a solid-fleshed fish such as monkfish, grouper, snapper or rockfish. The unpeeled shrimp serve as an attractive garnish on top of the dish.
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon Spanish sweet or smoked paprika
2 teaspoons salt
4 tomatoes, cored, diced or 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1 small squid (10 ounces), cleaned, cut into small pieces
3 cans (14 ounces each) chicken broth
2 bottles (8 ounces each) clam juice
6 halibut or other white fish fillets, about 6 ounces each
1/2 pound large unpeeled shrimp, plus 1/4 pound peeled deveined shrimp
1 pound fideos or spaghetti, broken into short lengths
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed to a powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Freshly ground pepper
Garlic mayonnaise, see recipe
1. Heat the 3 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add green pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika and salt; cook 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, squid, broth and clam juice. Heat to a boil; lower heat to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes.
2. Raise heat to high; heat to a boil. Add the fish. Lower heat to a simmer; cook until the fish begins to flake when probed with a fork, about 5-10 minutes, depending on its thickness. Remove the fish gently; transfer to a plate. Keep the broth warm in the Dutch oven.
3. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or paella pan. Add the unpeeled shrimp; cook, turning occasionally, until shrimp is pink and translucent, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
4. Add the pasta to the skillet; cook, stirring and tossing, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Add all but 1/2 cup of the reserved hot broth to the pan; heat to a boil. Meanwhile, stir the saffron, cumin and pepper to taste into the 1/2 cup of broth in a small bowl; stir mixture into the pasta. Cook until the pasta softens, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the peeled shrimp; cook just until shrimp turns pink and is cooked through, about 1 minute. Arrange the reserved fish and shrimp on top of the pasta. Cook until pasta is tender, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat; allow the pasta to rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve with the alioli.
Nutrition information per serving:
538 calories, 28% of calories from fat, 17 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 228 mg cholesterol, 48 g carbohydrates, 48 g protein, 1,250 mg sodium, 4 g fiber
Garlic mayonnaise (Alioli)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
This quick version of alioli, garlic mayonnaise, does not use raw eggs.
1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Freshly ground pepper
Whisk the mayonnaise in a small bowl until light and smooth; add the crushed garlic. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until smooth; stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Taste for seasoning; add additional salt if needed.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
111 calories, 99% of calories from fat, 12 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 2.5 mg cholesterol, 0.3 g carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 110 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
Pork chop
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Resting time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Meaty spare ribs or country ribs, cut into pieces, may be used in place of the pork chops. Spanish smoked paprika is sold in specialty markets and some larger supermarkets and on ethnic-food Web sites including tienda.com.
4 medium rib pork chops
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, ribbed, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen or fresh shelled peas
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
3/4 pound thick fideos or spaghetti, broken into short lengths
1. Season the pork chops with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and black pepper to taste. Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add the chops. Cook, turning once, until brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side; transfer chops to a plate. Add the onions and bell pepper to the skillet; cook, stirring, until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes; lower heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
2. Mix 2 tablespoons of the water and the paprika in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Add the paprika mixture to the skillet with the remaining 5 cups of the water. Add the bay leaves, peas, thyme and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the salt; heat to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Return the pork chops to the skillet. Stir in the pasta. Cook, without stirring, 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low; cook without stirring, 10 minutes. Stir; cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is "juicy" but not soupy and the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
577 calories, 27% of calories from fat, 18 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 31 mg cholesterol, 80 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein, 660 mg sodium, 9 g fiber
Would you pay $800 for this holiday ham?
Patience pays off as a Toano importer gets first dibs on bringing the high-end Spanish cured meat to the U.S.
Chris Flores
Toano - When he started taking deposits for the famed Jamon Iberico Spanish hams five years ago, LaTienda.com owner Don Harris warned customers that the pricey delicacy might not ever be allowed into the country.
But Harris was determined to help convince a Spanish company to work with American food regulators to clear the way for his Toano Spanish food company to get some to its customers. The fervent fans of the ham maintained the faith, placing hundreds of deposits since 2002 with LaTienda to be first in line to buy the $800 ham.
You read that right. $800. For a ham. Or $87 a pound, compared to prosciutto imported from Parma, Italy, for $13-$20 a pound, or $9 a pound for a cooked Smithfield ham.
For LaTienda's ham fanatics, a willingness to wait has allowed them to be the first Americans to please their palate with Jamon Iberico. LaTienda is shipping the hams out in time for Christmas. The first hams arrived at an importer LaTienda works with before Thanksgiving, and have now cleared USDA inspections.
"We couldn't believe it until we actually saw it," said Harris.
Harris started trying to find a company in Spain that would be willing to export Jamon Iberico after he opened his family-run Internet business in 1996. It would take a decade before a small company was willing to do the paperwork to convince American food regulators that a special Spanish curing and aging process was safe.
"The big boys didn't want to mess with all the stupid American regulations and said, why bother?" said Harris.
The hams are renowned worldwide for the nutty flavor that comes from the specially bred, free-range black Iberian hogs that get fat on acorns. LaTienda.com is an Internet operation that has grown into a major Spanish food distributor with a large warehouse in Toano, where there is also a small retail store.
Harris has been working closely in Spain with the Santiago Martin family, which runs a company called Embutidos y Jamones Fermin in a mountain village in La Alberca. The Martins teamed up with famed Spanish chef Jose Andres and a European food importer to create Fermin USA, which was dedicated to getting Jamon Iberico into the United States.
Among the large companies that passed at the opportunity to supply a product that is often called "the greatest ham in the world" into the United States: Campofrio, the dominant pork company in Spain partially owned by local pork giant Smithfield Foods.
The deposits that Harris had attracted helped convince Fermin there was enough demand in the United States to jump through the American regulatory hoops. About 100 people have deposits on the regular Ibericos, and another 300 are waiting for an even higher end Iberico.
"We helped demonstrate the demand," said Harris.
The Iberico hog has been in Spain for centuries. It is black and large, with a long snout and slender legs that sport a black hoof. The hogs live only in parts of Spain that have grazing meadows in Mediterranean forests known as "The Dehesa." The ham is cured in mountain air for at least two years, and the intact black hoof is why it's often called "pata negra." The fat transforms into a mono-unsaturated fat similar to olive oil. Because the hogs wander and graze, their fat spreads throughout their bodies and forms marbling. The rich flavor is often attributed to the large amount of fat, which also is part of the reason they can cure so long.
The highest quality Iberico hams, called "Jamon Iberico de Bellota," come from hogs that spend about five months of their lives getting fat by gorging on acorns. They have a deeper, richer glistening fat than the standard Iberica hogs that only eat acorns occasionally.
LaTienda expects to receive the first of these premium Bellota hams next summer, and they will sell for $1,500. Harris's company also launched a new Web site, http://www.jamon.com, dedicated to educating consumers and selling them Spanish ham.
LaTienda has continued to expand into its excess warehouse space all year, and sales have been strong all year. Christmas is always a big time for the business, and this year hasn't disappointed. The company sent 1,000 shipments out in one day this week. The first shipment of Iberico is long gone.
Harris doesn't want people to think Iberico will only be available to rich foodies. He hopes that as the market develops, there will eventually be packages of Iberico slices that more of the public could afford.
How the price compares
$87
Iberico ham price per lb.
$13
Prosciutto ham price per lb.
$9
Cooked Smithfield ham per lb.
Spain cures ham craving
The arrival of Spanish Iberico hams to this country has been breathlessly awaited by epicures, serious porkophiles, Spanish-food devotees and status-obsessed foodies -- and the first hams have arrived at last.
These hams come from a special breed of hogs, the Iberico, also called pata negra (black-footed), and are produced by the first slaughterhouse in Spain built to satisfy the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rules. They're not the holy grail of hamdom, the Iberico de bellota, from hogs that graze on acorns for several months, but they are the closest thing. They're from the same breed of hogs, just slaughtered earlier, giving them less time to gorge on acorns.
The Iberico pigs' meat has more marbling than the meat of American breeds does, for superior flavor and texture, and the acorns they eat boost their levels of heart-healthy monounsaturated oleic acid.
Central Market received its first shipment of the Iberico ham last week and is slicing the boneless ham to order for $99.99 a pound.
Spanish-food importer Don Harris of the Virginia-based La Tienda company is selling the whole hams only. He says his first shipment of hams was presold, but buyers can get on the list for the next shipment at www.latienda.com (800-710-4304); the company also has a new Web site, www.jamon.com, dedicated entirely to Spanish ham.
La Tienda is selling the bone-in hams, which have the hoof attached, for $52 a pound, around $800 a ham (Harris says you need a special stand and knife to manage the bone-in ham). Boneless hams are $87 a pound, around $750 a ham, plus shipping.
The top-of-the-line Iberico de bellota hams, for which La Tienda's waiting list now stands at 300, won't arrive until sometime next summer and will run about $1,500 at La Tienda. But by the end of the month, both Central Market and La Tienda will have paleta of bellota -- shoulder, from the front leg, which is smaller than the back-leg ham and thus takes less time to cure -- at a price to be determined.
aculbertson@star-telegram.com
Amy Culbertson is the Star-Telegram food editor, 817-390-7421.
Hog wild over acorn-fed pork
Some of the most celebrated pork in the world comes from free-roaming pigs that feast on acorns in Spain.
Tom Perry
Prized for its sweet, nutty and delicate taste and succulence, cured ham from these rock-star pigs became available this month for the first time in the United States.
The price for this ham, known as Jamón Ibérico, starts at about $50 per pound. All 300 of the hams in the first shipment were spoken for, having been preordered in 2002, according to online retailer Tienda.com.
As the legendary Spanish ham was making its U.S. debut, La Quercia LLC, a Norwalk-based artisan pork processor, began curing meat from 49 of what are believed to be the first acorn-fed, pasture-raised hogs in Iowa - if not the United States - that were part of an extensive commercial venture.
Acorns are a natural swine food that has been removed from pig diets, especially in the United States, because there are more efficient ways to feed pig herds.
"In Europe, they've been feeding acorns to pigs for centuries,'' said Herb Eckhouse, co-owner of La Quercia with his wife, Kathy. He added that it is generally agreed that acorn-fed pigs produce a sweeter and richer-tasting pork.
La Quercia's Acorn Edition pork, as it is being called, has already attracted the attention and financial support of some of the nation's finest chefs. If all goes according to plan, the Iowa-made product will be the American cousin of Jamón Ibérico.
Last week, a prominent California chef and two food industry executives traveled to Iowa just to catch a glimpse of the Acorn Edition pork and the operation at La Quercia. One of the executives, Carlos Souffront, of Zingerman's, a highly regarded Michigan food emporium, said matter-of-factly: "This is food history in the making.''
If that seems like a bit of a stretch, consider this: The Eckhouses found 48 partners, most of them from East and West coast restaurants, to join the Acorn Edition project. Each of those partners invested $3,000 per hog to take the risk in Iowa.
The list of subscribers to the La Quercia project features "Molto'' Mario Batali of Food Network fame and a roster of award-winning chefs from New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
In Des Moines, George Formaro of Centro and Gateway Market and Michael LaValle of the Embassy Club were subscribers.
"You look at the list of people and see the company you're keeping, and you go, 'Wow,' " said Formaro. "You've got guys like Mario Batali. At his level, those guys don't mess around. They didn't put up $3,000 because they wanted to be nice."
The Eckhouses were able to find willing partners for their Acorn Edition project because for the past two years their Iowa-made pork specialties have been judged worthy domestic rivals of the finest European imports, Formaro said.
Chris Blobaum, an Iowa native and chef at the Wilshire in Santa Monica, Calif., visited Norwalk last week to spend time at La Quercia. A regular buyer of La Quercia products, Blobaum said he's excited about the Acorn Edition project. He said he knows of farmers in California who have raised five or six acorn-fed pigs for friends or for their own use. "But I don't know of anyone who has ever tried something to this extent," he said, referring to the Acorn Edition project.
Customers at his restaurant, where the cost of an entree is in the range of $29 to $39, will enthusiastically support high-quality local and domestic food products, he said.
"You're seeing it with cheese being made here in the United States," he said. "It's similar to what happened with wine years ago."
It is no longer unusual for his customers to pay $125 or more for California wines from very small wineries, said Blobaum.
Along with chefs, U.S. food writers have discovered La Quercia. The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle and Vogue magazine have all rhapsodized about the quality of La Quercia's prosciutto. In October, Bon Appetit magazine named the processor its Food Artisan of the Year.
Formaro, a devotee of Italian prosciutto and one of La Quercia's first customers, said he considers the rave reviews an affirmation of his view that "here's a guy in Iowa who's making some of the best prosciutto in the world.'' The Acorn Edition prosciutto will be ready to evaluate in about a year, Herb Eckhouse said. But he's encouraged by the fresh Acorn Edition pork he tasted last week.
"A lot went into this project," Eckhouse said.
La Quercia turned to a farmer in northeast Iowa for its hogs. Becker Lane Organic Farm in Dyersville raised the Berkshires, a prized breed, for the project.
After the pigs were weaned, they were introduced to an acorn diet.
The chefs who subscribed to the Acorn Edition will receive the pork from their pigs in the Old World way, which translates into an "18-month culinary experience," Eckhouse said. Some fresh pork has already been sent out. But cured specialities, such as prosciutto and pancetta, will be dispatched after they've aged properly.
Because subscribers will receive their products over the course of months, it is unlikely that La Quercia Acorn Edition pork will show up as regular menu items. Most restaurants are likely to use the pork as a part of special events, Formaro said.
"One good thing about this is that it is going to be like the old days.... Nothing will be wasted," he said, explaining that most chefs are likely to use every scrap of meat from their pigs, since the cost averages out to about $30 per pound for the pork.
The true test of La Quercia's Acorn Edition pork will come near the end of 2008 when the prosciutto is ready, Eckhouse said.
"If it isn't really great," he said. "We probably won't do it again."
Reporter Tom Perry can be reached at (515) 284-8224 or tperry@dmreg.com
Spain cures U.S. desire for Iberico ham
Jerry Shriver
Gastronomes who flock to Spain to partake of the country's famous cured meats will no longer have to smuggle the most prized example back home: Ibérico hams have been approved for sale in the USA for the first time, and a small initial supply is making its way into the retail pipeline this month.
Jamón Ibérico comes from Ibérico pigs native to Spain. They roam and forage outside, and a small percentage spend their final months in oak forests eating an acorn-intensive diet. The hams are cured for two years or more, resulting in a deep mahogany color, nutty flavor and creamy texture.
Embutidos Fermín of Spain, the sole producer authorized to export to the USA, has shipped about 300 of the more common Jamón Ibérico hams here, which they will sell in gourmet stores and online at latienda.com for about $50 a pound. The Bellota hams, made from acorn-fed pigs, are due this summer and will sell for about $100 a pound.
"The difference is the depth of the flavor — the intensity and nuttiness set it apart," says Don Harris, of online retailer La Tienda of Williamsburg, Va.
Dish
Walter Nicholls
PORK PROJECT: Attention, vacationers to Spain: There is no longer a need to hide a leg of celebrated Ibérico ham in your suitcase on the trip home.
In a ceremony Thursday at Jaléo restaurant downtown, chef and co-owner José Andrés and importer Santiago Martin of Fermin USA were joined by Spain's ambassador to the United States, Carlos Westendorp, for the slicing of the first jamon Ibérico -- dry-cured ham made from Spain's black-footed pigs -- to legally enter the United States. Fermin USA won importation approval after a 10-year effort. "Every cuisine has its hero," Andrés said. "In Spanish cuisine, it's the Ibérico ham, the best ambassador a country can have."
From pigs raised in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, Ibérico's mahogany-colored meat is highly marbled, sweet and nutty. But the legs are not the highest-grade Ibérico de bellota hams, from pigs that gorge on acorns in the four months before slaughter, but rather the Ibérico de recebo hams, which may have some acorns mixed into their feed. The suggested retail price for the boneless recebo is $86 per pound. The bellota hams will be imported in late July and will sell for about $160 per pound.
In addition to Jaléo and Taberna del Alabardero restaurants downtown, Ibérico ham will be available as early as this weekend at Dean & DeLuca in Georgetown and Cowgirl Creamery in Penn Quarter and by mail from http://www.tienda.com.
$1,500 for a ham?
Elizabeth Lee
Next summer, a few Americans who’ve shelled out more money for one piece of prize pork than many of us spend on groceries for four months, will taste their first forkful of acorn-fed Jamon Iberico Bellota hams.
If you want to read what makes this ham so unique, besides munching on acorns for five months and a fat content that’s abundant...
Ham From Spain’s Prized Pigs Ready for Debut
Florence Fabricant
THE first Ibérico hams from Spain are ready to be sold in the United States, having passed government inspections. They will make their American debut tomorrow afternoon at Jaleo, in Washington, where the chef José Andrés plans to slice and serve jamón Ibérico to the Spanish ambassador, among others.
In the next few weeks, some restaurants and shops will serve and sell their allotments of the...
Edible gifts make a welcome stocking stuffer
Marialisa Calta
If nothing else, the holidays are about gathering around a huge meal with friends and family. But that doesn't mean delectable edibles won't be welcome as gifts, too. From the gourmand to the afternoon snacker on your list, these scrumptious tidbits make for some delightful stocking "stuffers."
Add spice to a loved one's life with a Big Crate of Spices from Penzeys, the venerable Wisconsin spice dealer. The crate contains three dozen spices, all packed in an attractive wooden box, containing everything the serious cook could want and more. Included, for example, are basic seasonings like French thyme, California basil and Hungarian sweet paprika, seasoning combos like Sandwich Sprinkle, and exotics like Kashmir saffron, French Fleur De Sel and Madagascar vanilla beans. Individual spices and seasonings are available, as is a large array of other gift boxes designed for every taste - from cocoa lovers to grill-meisters ($199; 800-741-7787; www.penzeys.com).
Tea drinkers will swoon over African Nectar from Mighty Leaf, a fragrant blend made with African rooibos leaves, redolent of tropical fruit and blossoms. Rich in antioxidants, the tea is said to promote calm and relaxation. Aside from the taste, we like the look of this colorful blend in its biodegradable, see-through pouches. Mighty Leaf, founded in California in 1999, sells a variety of teas - black, herbal and iced, as well as tea wares. Try the Master Tea Pouch Sampler ($53.95 for 108 teabags; 877-698-5313; www.mightyleaf.com).
Coffee lovers, on the other hand, will stay awake nights trying to figure out how to thank you for a gift of Stumptown Coffee Roasters Karabe coffee, imported from Rwanda. Like many small roasters, Stumptown buyers are concerned about social conditions, the physical welfare of coffee workers, and the health of the environment; their coffee carries labels like "Fair Trade" and "Direct Trade." Stumptown's owner also started a "Bikes to Rwanda" program, which donates bicycles to coffee plantation workers ($15 per pound; 503-230-7797; www.buystumptowncoffee.com).
Tapas - those small noshes to enjoy with drinks (think of them as the Spanish equivalent of dim sum) - make for a gala gathering. Cocktail-party hosts on your list will relish Tapas Gift Boxes from La Tienda, the retailer that calls itself "the best of Spain in America." Gift boxes range from serving two, to the "Supreme" tapas collection, which includes sausages, stuffed olives, roasted peppers, aged sherry vinegar, Marcona almonds and four mini-paella pans for serving ($39 to $199; 800-710-4304; www.latienda.com).
It's admittedly a cheesy gift, but any lactose lover will be thrilled with the bevy of "golden moldies" from Artisanal Premium Cheese. These cheesemongers have got everything, from a single hunk of Double Gloucester cheddar-style cheese from England ($15 per pound) to the Exotic & Rare Cheese Collection. This collection - one of many offered by this New York City-based emporium - includes Couronne Lochoise, a goat's milk cheese from France; Prattigauer, a rind-washed cow's milk cheese from Switzerland; Azeitao, a thistle-rennet sheep's milk cheese from Portugal; a jar of Armenian preserved walnuts; and a box of Charcoal Crackers, black crackers from England made with "natural charcoal powder" ($85; 877-797-1200; www.artisanalcheese.com).
Not up for cheesy? How about corny? The small Popcorn Sampler from Dale & Thomas includes six packets (each serves two to four people) of various flavors like "Popuccino" (caramel and coffee) and "Hot Wing" (cayenne, vinegar, garlic and spices). The company offers popcorn bowls, tins and other gifts as well ($28 for a six-pack sampler; 800-767-2676; www.daleandthomas.com).
You probably knew you could sign up a friend or loved one for a fruit/wine/dessert/whatever-of-the-month (866-682-1052; gourmetgroceryonline.com), but did you know you can join the Potato of the Month Club? Send from three to 12 fresh, nonirradiated Idaho spuds a month ($16 to $26 per month, includes shipping; www.curiouscountrycreations.com).
Homesick Southerners will delight over any gift from Boiled Peanuts, a catalog by award-winning cookbook authors Matt and Ted Lee. Try Mrs. Sassard's Green Tomato Relish ($16 for two 10-ounce jars) or a six-pack of bottled Cheerwine soda ($15). Or send the Boiled Peanuts Kit for a one-of-a-kind, make-your-own snack ($22.50 for 5 pounds; 843-720-8890; www.boiledpeanuts.com). Buy signed copies of "The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook" on the site as well ($35).
Instead of sending your loved ones to a gourmet restaurant, send them a gourmet meal via Home Bistro, a company that employs "sous vide" technology, developed in France, for vacuum-packing and flash-freezing meals. Try roasted rack of lamb with a creamy garlic sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, peas and onions ($19) or wild mushroom ravioli with marsala sauce and asparagus ($12). Recipients just drop the bags into boiling water, and voila! dinner is served (800-628-5588; www.homebistro.com).
Extravagant gifts for your favorite foodie
With wine-washed goat cheeses and single-origin chocolates sold at the corner Key Food, holiday shopping for the blog-trawling, Michelin guide-reading, "Top-Chef"-watching food fanatic is more challenging than ever.
For these discerning eaters, a Dean & DeLuca gift basket just won't cut it.
But no worries: There are still plenty of rare epicurean finds that'll impress even the most jaded city foodie.
REALLY TOP SHELF
Hedge fund honchos eager to prove they're still standing after this tumultuous year might consider a new crop of bottles so absurdly priced they put super-premium on the bottom shelf. Partida Tequila's new Elegante extra anejo (anejo is typically aged at least a year) kicks things off with a relatively modest price tag of $350. Dos Lunas tequila's Grand Reserve, in a Baccarat crystal decanter, raises the price-per-bottle bar to $2,500. For the Cognac connoisseur, meanwhile, there's Hennessy's $4,000 Ellipse. Scotch men have a range of options, from Johnny Walker Blue's relatively modest King George V edition ($600) to the tycoon-worthy, Lalique-crystal-encased 55-year-old Macallan ($12,000). Last but certainly not least is Ardbeg's limited Double Barrel release, featuring two single-cask bottles from a barrel that's been aging since 1974 ($20,000).
HAMS YOU CAN'T HAVE (YET)
For years, the only way to get your hands on the world's priciest ham was to smuggle it home from Spain. Though the Department of Agriculture has given the green light for jamon iberico (the free-ranging pigs grow fat on acorns), the first haunches of the Holy Grail are just clearing customs. But the Web retailer La Tienda tienda.com is already taking orders for whole hams (a $200 deposit on a projected $800 total price) with a hopeful by-Christmas delivery date.
NOW THAT'S PRIME MEAT
Americans and Australians have been raising high-end Wagyu cattle for years (more commonly, and mistakenly, called Kobe), but it doesn't hold a candle to the real Japanese product, which was banned in this country until recently. DeBragga and Spittler, one of the last distributors still operating in the Meatpacking District, bring in wet-aged, Japanese Wagyu so richly marbled with fat it literally melts in your mouth. Through debragga.com, the company will ship their well-worth-the-splurge rib eyes ($159.95 for two 12-ounce steaks) and strip steaks ($179.95 for two).
Sources
For excellent hot pepper jelly, contact Tierra Vegetables, based in California's Sonoma County wine country. The company sells seven varieties of spicy Chile jam, ranging in heat from mild to hot. Its Rojo is a brightly flavored jam with a nice balance of sweet and hot, while its Chipotle jam is smoky and complex (12-oz. jars are $10 each). To order, contact Tierra Vegetables at 888-7843772 (TierraVegetables.com).
Marcona almonds are sweet and rich, with an extraordinary crunch more like a macadamia nut than an almond. Look for the ones that are fried in extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled liberally with salt and serve them as a pre-dinner nosh with some olives and a glass of sherry. Available at some supermarkets, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Markets, and at Tienda.com (1-800-710-4304), where a 4-oz. package is $4.25.
Quince paste has a concentrated fruit flavor and honey-like sweetness that makes it the perfect foil for cheese. Do as the Spanish do: Cut it into slivers and serve it with a well-aged cheese like Manchego or Cheddar. Some supermarkets carry quince paste in their cheese section. A 14-oz. box is $9.95 at Tienda.com (1-800-710-4304).
Good mail-order sources for high-quality cheeses include FormaggioKitchen.com (888212-3224) and MurraysCheese .com (888-692-4339). You can also go right to the source and order cheeses from individual cheese makers, such as Meyenberg (Meyenberg.com; 800-891-4628), which is known for its smoked jack goat cheese and various other goat milk cheeses and products, and Great Hill Blue (GreatHillBlue.com; 888-748-2208). Greek halloumi cheese is becoming much more widely available, and many supermarkets now carry it. You can also mail order halloumi from igourmet.com (877-446-8763).
You can find tahini, a paste made from ground sesame seeds, in local supermarkets and health food stores. For mail-order sources, try Adriana's Caravan (AdrianasCaravan.com; 800316-0820) or Sultan's Delight (SultansDelight.com; 800-8525046).
You'll find ready-to-eat chorizo in supermarkets (check the cheese or deli case) and specialty shops. Online, try Tienda.com (1-800-710-4304) for a variety of chorizos (from $5.95 for 7 oz.), as well as pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika, from $4.95) and jarred Spanish piquillo peppers (from $8.95).
Lee Kum Kee hoisin sauce is available in some supermarkets and in Asian groceries. Online, try the Oriental Pantry (OrientalPantry .com; 978-264-4576).
Rice paper wrappers are available in most Asian groceries and in the ethnic food section of some supermarkets. You can also order them from Adriana's Caravan (AdrianasCaravan.com; 800-316-0820), where a 1 2-oz. package of 8-inch round wrappers sells for $3.95. Tuong of toi (Chile garlic sauce) is also available in Asian groceries, or find it at EthnicGrocer.com from $2.47 (search under "chili garlic sauce").
For cupcake decorations like dragees, sprinkles, and fancy paper liners, contact Sweet Celebrations (Sweetc.com; 800-328-6722).
Wooden tart tampers for tartlets are $4.95 at Cooking.com.
Better Cured Meat Begins On the Hoof at Home
In Pursuit of All-American Charcuterie, Entrepreneurs Bank on Fattier Pigs
Jane Black
Frasier's Bottom, WV -- In 2001, Nic Heckett laid out plans for a new business: selling artisan bacons, salamis and dry-cured hams. What he didn't realize was that to do it right, he'd have to become a pig farmer.
The steady decline of the dollar upended his original plan to import top-quality...
