The first day in Spain, I went straight for this treat.  Wandering around El Puerto Del Sol, I stopped in a shop full of hanging meat, smoke and locals.  True to from, I went for the ultra-authentic bocadillo de jamón.

Jamón is a mainstay in the Spanish diet, not to mention a building block of the export economy.  This is nothing like the ham from the deli, or a Christmas ham with cloves.  No, this is sliced thin and its salty meaty flavor is best on its own or with a little bread.

From a previous voyage to San Sebastian, a city in the Basque country of northern Spain, I knew that jamón iberico was delicious, and ubiquitous but I didn’t fully understand its importance.  Now, after a little research, and a long conversation in Spanish that tested my grammatical skills, here’s what I’ve got.

There are three main types of jamón in Spain- Serrano, Iberico, and Jabugo also known as jamón de pata negra. Serrano is the cheapest and the most common.  It has distinct white skin and you’ll find many bars have the entire leg on the counter, slicing it off piece by piece.  Iberico is one step up in quality—a little purer, a little more flavorful.   The purity is based on how the pig, or cerdo was raised, what it ate and how much exercise it got.  Jamón de Pata Negrais the purest and the most expensive. These pigs only eat bellotas, or acorns and are “purebreds.”

I had the opportunity to try a little piece the other day.  Truly, I’ve never had anything like it.  The fat was enchantingly unfamiliar and delivered exceptional flavor, balanced in its salt and depth of meat-i-ness. I asked if I could take a picture of the owner and he asked me how I would pay.  With love, I told him.  He like that.

The different types of jamón are heavily quality controlled. The Ministerio de Agricultura Español, determines the origin of the each ham and analyze its integrity.  The Reglamento Europeo,  (CE) the same organization that protects the flavor and the purity of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese makes sure that Spanish jamón is legally protected from interlopers and copycats.

If you happen to see some Spanish meats at your butcher shop, look to see if the jamón is 5J, a brand that is considered the best in the country, according to my local research.

Writing this makes me hungry…even though I just ate una tortilla con patatas y huevos, muy tradicional!

“How camest thou in this pickle?” Alonso asked Trinculo in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and centuries this blogger asked herself staring into a sink full of cucumbers. It all started with a request, a trip to the Minneapolis farmer market, and a dream (chuckle, chuckle).

As any good adventurer should, first I gathered information. The Pickling process was originally developed to preserve any number of foods from going bad and maintain a food supply during winter months or times of famine….that is, until its deliciousness was fully appreciated. The pickle has its roots in 2030 BC Mesopotamia when travelers brought cucumber seeds from India to the Tigris valley. Pickled food immediately took on an international flare. In China, construction workers ate fermented cabbage (not unlike German Sauerkraut) as they built the Great Wall around 200 BC, Vitamin C-rich pickles were fed to sailors to prevent scurvy during Columbus’s quest for America in 1492 and now in 2008, I’m just learning how to make the tangy morsels. I feel so behind the times.

Pickling food works by lowering natural pH level, and increasing acidity to kill its bacteria and enzymes. The American Pickle is a product of a brine based or acid based fermentation process, but there are other ways to pickle a pickle including Lye-based, Dry-salt and sugar-based processes.

For my first batch, I wanted results quickly, so I opted for a recipe in which the cucumber are cooked with a bouquet garni filled with two types of dill , pepper corns and loads of garlic. I was skeptical of the cooking….would it produce mushy pickles? Can you really get great taste in a few hours? Check back to find out, better yet, cook a batch along with me!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound pickling (Kirby) cucumbers , each sliced lengthwise into 4 spears
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
6 cloves garlic , smashed
½ cup chopped fresh dill leaves plus 1 additional tablespoon
1 ½ cups distilled white vinegar
½ cup ice

1. Toss cucumbers with salt in colander set over bowl. Let stand 1 hour. Discard liquid.
2. Place peppercorns, dill weed, garlic, and 1/2 cup fresh dill in paper coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth and tie tightly with kitchen twine. Bring spice bag and vinegar to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low and add cucumbers. Cover and cook until cucumbers turn dull olive-brown, about 5 minutes. Discard spice bag.
3. Transfer cucumbers and liquid to glass bowl, add ice, and stir until melted. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon fresh dill. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 1 hour before serving. (Pickles can be refrigerated in covered container for up to 2 weeks.)

Sources: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/index.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3100168
Cooks Illustrated http://www.cooksillustrated.com/