Top Spanish Tapas...

"Cinco Jotas" or the 5J Iberico ham is respected worldwide as one of the finest artisan Spanish hams money can buy. A rare ham produced in limited numbers which command a high price.

Sanchez Romero Carvajal has been producing premium grade iberian hams for generations, way back since 1879 so if any company knows the secrets to artisan ham production it is them.

So what makes the 5J ham so different? The big difference is that Sanchez Romero Carvajal use only 100% Iberian pigs to produce this supreme ham. Nothing out of the ordinary there then, well, actualy yes... 100% Iberian pigs are very rare, native to the Iberian peninsular in South West Spain the hog is still only available in limited numbers ~ compare this to other iberian hams where the pigs (specified by the authourities) have to be no less than 75% iberico and you soon realise that a 5J ham is the purest iberian ham available to man.

The town of Jabugo where these hams are produced had been put on the map due to the quality of the "Cinco Jotas Jamones" There are also some very happy and content pigs roaming the meadows in the area, known as "dehesas" these meadows boast the oak trees ("Holm" oak being the largest) from which drop the acorns (bellotas) that make up the main part of the pigs diet.

Flavour is sublime, texture equally so and a nutty aroma, marbled with fat these hams are exquisite in every sense of the word. Each leg is carefully tended to by the meastro secadero (ham expert) during its 3 years of curing, such are the strict controls and quality standards for the 5J, Sanchez Romero Carvajal hams are envied as some of the very finest available.

The 5J ham is slender in shape, cut in a "V" and has the black hoof or "pata negra". Ham once cut into is a deep rose red with fat boasting a pale yellow tint. Unique aroma and very pleasant bouquet. Perfect accompaniments to this ham would be equally high standards of cheese and wine, a denominacion de origen cheese and a 1996 Rioja or 1999 Ribera del Duero will always compliment well as will, quite plainly a good bread with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

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Beef rib "Asado" or "roast" is one of those versatile recipes that you can enjoy a good degree of experimentation with. Using beef rib, red wine and plenty of herbs along with some good old veg you can create a large dish for friends and family.

It has been quite a few years since our first Spanish "asado" - a dish for which the village of Orce is famous. Orce asado is always made with lamb or the local Cordero Segureno, bar Salero in the village baked their recipe not even in situ but in the neighbours bread oven a few doors down. Such is the preperation surrounding the dish and the slow cooking you have to order the day before.

Our very first Asado was ordered for 6 people and arrived in a oven baking tray that almost didn't fit the table, from there you simply dig in. Asado can be made from beef and pork as well although any Spaniard will tell you that the "traditional" dish is always made with prime lamb. Slow cooking is the key to this dish so the meat literally falls away from the bone.

Ingredients: (Serves 6)

1 large rib of beef cut into 2 inch pieces
2 large onions, peeled and chopped into large chunks
8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
4 carrots, broken into thirds
3 potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 large glasses red wine
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 bay leaves

How to cook

1. Pour a little olive oil into a large cazuela
2. Add all of the ingredients and mix
3. Season with salt and pepper and mix again
4. Cook in a low oven for about 4 hours until the beef is very tender

A great way to eat this is to put the cazuela in the middle of the table and everyone just dig in. Serve with fresh bread to mop up the lovely wine juices.

2010 Six Nations rugby is nearly upon us again - thats the weekends sorted... being a bit of a rugby nut I tend to get prepared for a good Saturday afternoon especialy when there are three games on. Yup its a rugby showdown and no-one gets the tv switcher until the last whistle is blown.

Weekends usualy involve tapas anyway but when the rugby is on its a different matter, usualy we get a full ham in - tapas "on tap" as and when required. Its a real shame we cannot watch Spain in the rugby (yes Spain do have a national team) they took part in the 1999 rugby world cup and are still regarded as one of strongest European teams outside the 6 Nations, maybe one day Italians will no longer be the under dogs in this fantastic tournament and we will have a 7 Nations with Spain striving to earn its place and climb the rankings. A long way off? Well maybe but who would have ever thought that the Italians would bring Mediterranean flair to the game and take to task even the strongest of 6N teams?

Spain is on the cards for a well deserved slot some time in the future, a world cup place perhaps? C'mon its allways great to watch the "minnows" secretly wishing for a giant killing upset ~ Imagine the flamenco if Spain executed some exceptionaly planned white line fever and scored against England...

Tapas lineout

Ham, lots of it. Rugby fans don't particularly need wafer thin slices during game time so a big ham piece for easy carving to escape the half time talk is always good.

Fire Chorizo, bigger and the spicier the better, every rugby player thrives on a Sebastian Chabal hit now and then.

Lomo: One for the backs, a tenderloin of pork, easily devoured and never lasts long.

Paella: Forward consumption, takes a while but you get there in the end.

If that isn't enough to get you in the mood take a peak at this:

Images of Andalucia muster up the idea of flamenco, paella, perhaps the world famous and incredibly impressive "Alhambra" or sleepy white washed rural villages where locals go about their daily business of laid back siestas, the odd spot of shopping, washing the doorstep to a shine and chatting with the neighbours across the street.



Andalucia is a beautiful region of Spain, the largest and also the most southerly with influence from the Moors to be seen in stunning castles, re-enactments of Christian battles from days gone by and also an strong influence with food and cooking. Andalucia is also famous for its caves ~ in fact we ourselves bought one back in 2004 and find it to be one of the most secure and relaxing ways of living, difficult to explain perhaps unless you have had the pleasure of staying in one of these unique dwellings.



Spanish cave homes are found mostly in rural Granada, East of the city in small pockets of old Andalucian villages many of which are made up predominantly of century old cave homes. Rural Spain means the countryside or to be strictly correct "El campo". Scorched during the summer months the campo can become very dry - almost like a wasteland, however the views are nothing short of spectacular.



Bring the rain! Boy when it rains it rains, drops hammering down the chimney onto the stove top, towels by the door just to be safe and if a venture out is required plastic bags tied around the footwear. Campo dust becomes a muddy sludge you could almost make cazuelas out of. Everyone loves a good downpour - clears the air and it never takes long before the sun dries out the deluge, during early spring it takes but a matter of days for what is soon to be dust transform into a lush meadow like a carpet of flower and fauna, a brief but spectacular event in nature's calendar which never ceases to amaze.



A year ago I invested in a Panasonic Lumix (cracking camera) a DSLR was just of reach but the Lumix performs superbly for what we need. Primarily for food photography the photo bug bit well and hard so whenever time allows I try and capture whatever is offer which is usually quite a lot, Andalucia tends to deliver almost every day with its seamless beauty, ever changing weather, character and cultural apsects. A great place for the budding photographer.



All photos © Copyright 2010 Orce Serrano Hams