Results tagged: Pata Negra

By Jennifer Silverman

What if the swine was dry cured for over 24 months? Or it was raised, free-range, amid the shady oak forests of southwestern Spain? How about if Wilbur gorged on nothing but 20 pounds of fresh, fallen acorns every day for the last three months of his highly worthy life?

Well, for those of us with a gastro-maniacal bent, the answer is $169 per sweet porcine pound.   

Yes, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, the bling bling of ham, has finally arrived. It's been three years since the USDA gave approval to just one Spanish producer, Embutidos y Jamones Fermin in La Alberca, to raise, cure and import the ham for sale in the US, and at long last, the not-so-little piggies are ready for market.

So I went to the gourmet Spanish grocery, Despaña, for a taste. As store manager Alex Velez lovingly hand-carved off about $20's worth of thin, jewel-colored, fat-swirled slices, he explained the ham's special qualities. Known as Pata Negra ("black hoof"), the Ibérico pig is a descendant of wild boar and is the last free-roaming pig in Spain. The three-month acorn-exclusive ("bellota") diet before slaughter gives the ham its distinctive, highly flavorful natural fats - fats that literally oozed out of the ham as it was sliced. 

I won't use the word "moist," but for meat that's been curing in salt for over two years, the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota's texture is deliciously supple. It has a deep, rich flavor, almost reminiscent of caramel in its intensity. It is truly scrumptious...and gone way too quickly.

So, is a pound of Jamón Ibérico de Bellota worth more than a JetBlue trip to Ft. Lauderdale? It all depends on your level on commitment. But I can say with certainty, don't deny yourself a few slices for $20.

Where to find Jamón Ibérico de Bellota In NYC:

Despaña
408 Broome Street
between Lafayette Street and Cleveland Place
212-219-5050

*Make sure you're buying "Jamón Ibérico de Bellota." Fermin also produces other, less costly varieties of Pata Negra, but they are fed different diets and/or prepared from different parts of the pig.

Jennifer Silverman is a writer and omnivore living in New York City.

RECENTLY OPENED
Eighty One
Olana (soft open)
Pata Negra

OPENING SOON
Ciaobella
Sheridan Square - Gary Robbins (formerly of The Biltmore Room & The Russian Tea Room) new project
Bar Milano - Jason Denton's new project
Terroir - A new wine bar from Paul Grieco and Marco Canora

THIS WEEK'S RESTAURANT REVIEWS
NY Times: Frank Bruni gives 3 of 4 stars to newcomer Dovetail, "[Chef John Fraser] and his pastry chef, Vera Tong, come at their cooking with intellect and wit, but they seldom get too cerebral, too cute. Leaving quotation marks out of the titles of dishes, they leave it to you to make certain connections."
 
Peter Meehan checks out Gazala Place which serves Druse cuisine (a regional middle eastern cuisine).

NY Mag: Adam Platt gives 1 of 5 stars to Bar Boulud, "Daniel has a genius for imbuing earthy farmhouse recipes with his own light, gourmet touch, but at this early date, the entrées at Bar Boulud could come from any number of semi-reputable bistros around town."

Bloomberg: Ryan Sutton reviews weeks old Madaleine Mae and Merkato 55 and likes both.

The New York Sun: Paul Adams visits the new east village "Tosc-Mex" (Tuscan-Mexican), Matilda and for the most part likes it.

The New York Daily News: RG gives  2 of 4 stars to Bar Boulud. Agreeing with Platt that the charcuterie is very enjoyable, she refers to executive chef Danian Sansonetti's food as "undistinguished."

BLOGS AND NEWSLETTERS
Gothamist: Joe DiStefano goes to Soba Totto.
Eater goes inside Commerce.

READING LIST
Very Short List brings this book to our attention via their daily emails: "The Warmest Room in the House." A non-fiction book looking at the history "of the American diet in the 20th century. But he also includes the evolution of kitchen technology, architecture, design."

EVENTS AROUND TOWN
Next week:
StreetWise Partners presents Taste of Success, a food and wine tasting event. Funds raised from the event help StreetWise Partners fulfill their mission of building mentoring relationships between low-income individuals and volunteer business professionals to develop workplace skills and employment networks as the bridge to a successful career. Participating restaurants include Beppe, Essex, I Tre Merli, Sigiri, Cowgirl, Avra Estiatorio and Mercadito.

Visit the StreetWise Partners web site to purchase tickets.

Looking ahead:
Tuesday, March 4th Michael Ruhlman hosts an offal tasting with guest chef and blogger Chris Cosentino of Incanto at the Astor Center. ($250/ticket)

AND FURTHERMORE...
Greatest press release of last week was from PR rep Linda Funk of boutique firm, Food Insight located in Urbandale, IA. From the release, we learn that the "Nationally Known Wisconsin Cheese Marketer Buys Tenessee "Cannabis Cave" To Create Agri-Tourism Opportunities." I almost dismissed the release but was intrigued by  the "Cannabis Cave." It's too good not to read for yourself, so borrowing a page from our friend Madame Snack,  here's the release in its entirety:

Nationally Known Wisconsin Cheese Marketer Buys Tennessee " Cannabis Cave " To Create Agri-Tourism Opportunities

Fermo Jaeckle is well-known in the dairy industry as a co-founder of the Monroe, Wisconsin-based Roth Käse USA, which has gained fame and many awards for its artisan cheeses.  So it's not surprising that some people were taken aback recently when Jaeckle purchased a Tennessee cave that was at the center of an infamous marijuana growing operation.

The cave, located 40 miles from Nashville, made headlines in 2005 after a Drug Enforcement Task Force researched and built a case over a five year period of time prior to moving in to shut down the illicit pot growing operation. It turns out that, concealed under a million dollar vacation home, was the entrance to an ancient, natural cave, housing a massive marijuana farm, with high-tech lighting and climate-control systems to nurture over 1,000 hydroponically grown pot plants.  Besides a massive growing room, parts of which are 20 ft. high, the cave was also outfitted with offices, a kitchen, bedrooms and restrooms.  The Drug Enforcement authorities say the owners of the cannabis cave had made millions of dollars selling the pot over several years.

The area Drug Task Force arrested the pot farmers and seized the property. The house burned down some time later, under mysterious circumstances. The house fire caused little damage to the complex 150 feet under it, however, and in December the Drug Task Force auctioned off the property with the unique cave improvements intact.

That's where Fermo Jaeckle came in.  He heard about the auction from his attorney, Rowland Lucid.  Because Fermo's brother Andre lives in Tennessee they decided it might be great property for legitimate agricultural use.

Jaeckle admits that he was surprised to hear that he had made the winning bid.  Now that he, his brother Andre, along with their cousins Ulrich and Felix Roth, and long time business associates, Steve McKeon and Nella DiManno own the property, they are eager to utilize the amazing improvements made to the cave by the previous owners, and are evaluating multiple options. While some high-tech scenarios are possible, other potential uses reflect time-honored agricultural practices.

Caves, with their constant temperature and absence of natural light, have long been used in food production such as aging wine and growing mushrooms.  And, in the industry closest to Jaeckle's heart, caves have traditionally been used to age cheese.  For example, the classic Gruyere cheese made by Roth Käse USA in Wisconsin is aged to perfection in temperature- and humidity-controlled curing cellars. For centuries this process was often best done in caves.

While Jaeckle and the other owners intend to form a partnership with Roth Käse to distribute products grown or processed at the Tennessee property, Roth Käse does not own the cave property and will not move any of its production to Tennessee .

The owners are exploring how they might work with local Tennessee agricultural concerns to create products for the marketplace at this property.  This approach reflects how Jaeckle and others worked with a team of skilled cheesmakers, managers and marketers to develop Roth Käse into a leading maker of authentic cheeses.  In addition, Roth Käse's Wisconsin plant has become a tourist destination, with a gift shop and self-guided tours through a specially constructed observation gallery in the cheese production facility.

Jaeckle and his partners see exciting possibilities for converting the notorious pot cave into an agricultural and agri-tourism facility. With the money they paid for the cave property going to support drug enforcement programs, and with the prospect of creating a productive agricultural enterprise, the owners are on their way to transforming this former enterprise for "potheads" into one for, ------ you guessed it.----- "Cheeseheads."