Spanish sausage

New Potato Salad Platter Salutes Spanish Explorers

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) According to culinary history, American potato salad most likely originated from German and other European immigrants’ recipes during the nineteenth century. We were so excited to try a Spanish version because as our staff writer, Roberta R. Deen pointed out, it was the Spaniards who took potatoes (and tomatoes) back to Spain, where people thought they were poisonous nightshades so only used them only as decoration!

Our deconstructed Melissa’s red, white and blue peewee potato salad

In addition, it follows up the LocalFoodeater.com post about the first documented Thanksgiving in America, a Spanish one, and to salute the explorers who inspired it. //localfoodeater.com/garcia-de-la-cruz-inspires-this-authentic-spanish-thanksgiving-in-america/

Melissa’s Red, White & Blue Potato Medley for Salads, Grilling

Recipe: Warm Potato Salad with Basil and White Wine

Note: Use waxy (rather than floury) potatoes for a salad for texture, and cook them in their skins for more flavor when they are cooked in their skins. I actually love baked potato skins much more than the potato inside. We kept the traditional salad accompaniment of hot garlic sausage in the form of Spanish ham and sausage (see below). Basil was substituted for the flat-leaf parsley or tarragon.

  1. 1 1/2 lb waxy potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
  2. 1/4 cup rose wine (or white)
  3. salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  4. basil, julienned fine
  5. 1/2 cup olive oil
  6. Place potatoes in a steamer pot over cold salted water, or in the pot to boil. Cover, bring water to a boil, and simmer until done, 15-20 minutes. Test for softness with a fork. Drain.
  7. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into quarter-potato chunks. Sprinkle with the wine. Season and gently stir to thoroughly season. Cool to room temperature.
The Melissa’s Red, White and Blue peewee potato salad

Although basil, or albahaca in Spanish, is very much associated with the Mediterranean, it isn’t a very popular herb in Spain. In fact, many standard cookbooks and gastronomic encyclopedias there don’t even list it.

Fresh basil, called albahaca in Spanish! We used the rest of the large bunch for pesto.

We chose complimentary ingredients to go with the salad that could make up an entire meal, or different individual meals.

Deconstructed Spanish Explorer Salad:

Melissa’s freehand Roasted Peppers; heirloom teardrop and roasted tomato; Catalonian dried sausage and ham; buffalo and Urgèlia Catalonian semi soft aromatic cheese; Carmona black and green Spanish olives. Alex introduced us to “Picos” Camperos, the very popular mini artisanal bread sticks from Andalusia. A crusty, rustic bread would also be fine.

We now have an entire meal with one deconstructed potato salad and wine! We bought our’s at La Espanola Meats with the help of partner Alex. He was able to guide us to the regional wine, cheese and sausage specialties. He remembers we favor Catalonia.

Alex at La Española Meats guided us to Spanish regional specialties to go with our deconstructed Melissa’s potato salad

We offered our roasted tomatoes, mayo and pesto, and Spanish olive oil for a salad addition. The recipes are on localfoodeater.com

Spanish potato salad platter options: roasted tomatoes, mayo, pesto (made with leftover basil), olive oil

Then, all there was left to do was set the table for six. And, for a fewer number eating, the leftovers are also varied.

Ready for our holiday Spanish-influenced Melissa’s red, white and blue potato salad

Best of the Best Spanish Artisanal Meat at La Española Meats

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) The day we visited La Española Meats in Harbor City one sunshiny fall day, a special envoy delegation from Spain was visiting with a tasting of newly imported artisanal products.  This hints at the importance of the small boutique store that makes the Doña Juana brand of chorizo right in the adjoining building.  In fact it is the boutique and the lovely side garden dining area that accent the factory itself.  It transported us to a leisurely afternoon in Spain. //www.donajuana.com

We food writers were enchanted with the products and the hospitality.  I even found myself choosing Barcelona as the city  I most want to eat a meal on in a recent quiz because of it!  And this was over Paris and New Orleans!

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Founder-owner Juana Gimeno Farone founded La Española because the rich sausages and hams from Spain were not allowed to be imported in the 70’s.   So Faraone began making her own, packaged under the Doña Juana brand.  The artisanal products being introduced into America today include meats, cheese, wines and sweets but still exclude pork products from pigs raised in Spain.

img_4214 It is very different from Mexican chorizo because it is more like hard salami — and so can be served as you would meat on any charcuterie board without cooking.  Each salami is slightly different in terms of spices and texture.

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Paella is served every Saturday to guests in the outside area – a cordial gesture and one that enhanced every food lover’s attention to the company.  Because the product was not allowed to be imported even in the early company days, Farone did her best to acquaint food lovers not only with the chorizo but how to prepare and use it. A live flamenco performance makes the last Saturday of the month even more special.

img_4270Outside in the magical garden dining area, founder-owner Juana Gimeno Farone, and her daughter, Mari Carmen introduce a table of tapas highlighting the products.  In Spain the small, perfect salty bites are served with complementary wines and beers.

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The paella arrived from the back room in a copper pan, burnished from use. Bomba rice, cooked beautifully, has the golden glow of saffron.  It is dotted with several kinds of chorizo, chunks of pork, chicken, mussels, shrimp, piquillo peppers and squid.   Mixed spiced olives, freshly sliced, artisan chorizo, dried fava beans cooked with tiny clams and croquettes add to the mix.

Faraone’s son-in-law, amiable Iranian (!)  Alex Motamedi, operates the business with his wife.  He is passionate and detailed about explaining the Spanish meats, cheeses, wines, olive oils and assorted conservas of vegetables and fish on floor-to-ceiling shelves in the compact little store adjacent to the plant.

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As the the holiday shipment of special artisan products were being placed on the shelves,  Alex was adamant we try a sample of whatever caught our eye.  We purchased boxes of as many of them as we could, including the Almond-shaped confection above with a kind of marzipan paste filling inside the papery-thin shell.

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The red wine from Altos Ibericos was only available at La Espanola Meats this season.  It had a rich, fruity flavor and we purchased several bottles for gifts from the shipment.

The GPS had a “field day” with the address of La Español Meats. It directed us exit the 110 freeway  (off the 405 toward San Pedro) at an early exit on a complicated route to the factory, including a field tour around the block from the street behind it.  So much simpler to exit at Sepulveda right in Torrance, take a quick left to Vermont, straight and a right on Lomita.  And you are there – in Spain –  in a few minutes!

(//www.donajuana.com) ,La Española Meats, 25020 Doble Ave., Harbor City, (310) 539-0455.  Hours: Mon-Fri, 8:30 am-5:30 pm; Saturday from 9AM to 5 PM.  A short sandwich menu is available everyday, and the ladies will add product you purchase in the store, like special cheeses.  Please call ahead to make Paella Saturday reservations.  The House paella is $9 plus tax.

 

 

 

 

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