September 2007

School is starting again. The back to school shopping is in full swing. Ann Arbor is filled with university students, anxious parents and raucous football fans. It can be a period of stress for a lot of reasons. Summer is slipping away, the nights are cooler and longer. Vacations are finished and now it's time for work. Overwhelmed? Have a simple lunch and take a nap.

The siesta is a vital tradition in Spain. Sometime in the afternoon pretty much everyone finds time for a twenty minute light nap. It's calming and restful. It reawakens the mind. The siesta comes right after lunch. It's hardly a waste of time. A simple nap, to help digest a simple lunch.

Jamon Serrano (ham)
A simple lunch in Spain probably features long strips of Jamon Serrano. Like the Italian Prosciutto di Parma, Jamon Serrano is a dry cured pig leg, aged for over a year and sliced by hand. If you're good, you can slice off long, super thin slices called "lonchas." It's worth noting that some linguists trace our use of the word "lunch" back to lonchas. A few lonchas are the perfect centerpiece for a leisurely lunch.

Manchego (cheese)
You'll probably want to accompany your Jamon Serrano with a little cheese. Don't fret about what to pick. Relax and go with the classic — manchego. We've just received a new shipment of a very special manchego. It comes from the Manchega breed of sheep who live outside in the dehesa. The dehesa is the famous Spanish landscape of pastured parkland, dotted with Holm oak trees and perfect for grazing animals. The land is usually reserved for pigs, so it's extremely rare to find sheep there. The sheep that do live there produce amazing milk that makes even better cheese. Ours is aged good and long. It's nutty and complex; you won't find it anywhere else in Michigan.

Piquillo peppers
Meat and Cheese form the foundation of a good lunch. You might want to throw in a few fire-roasted piquillo peppers on the side — we've got them in jars — don't worry, you don't need to do any fire-roasting yourself. And someone else hand skinned the charred bits for you. These are the obvious choices — a Spanish lunch is almost guaranteed to contain these exact items. Where you get more freedom to choose is when it comes to olive oil.

Olive oils from Spain
Italy may get all the olive oil glory, but Spain produces way more olive oil than any other nation. When it comes to great olive oil, Spain can overwhelm you with choices. We've narrowed our selection down to a half-dozen or so of the best. This month we are uncapping them all and pouring liberally. Come by for a taste. Pour it over paesano bread (on sale this month for $3.50). Drink it neat. Make a salad. Finish a soup. Try one for each day of the week.

Spain has style. This is especially evident when you look at their bottles of olive oil. While the design on the outside has no bearing on the quality of what's inside, Spanish oils deliver the complete package-- gorgeous on the outside, delicious on the inside. While I wouldn't recommend judging an oil by its bottle, I think our Spanish oils fully display the care and passion that goes into every aspect of truly artisan production. Ari has written eloquently about our selections in this month's newsletter. It's worth coming by the Deli just to pick up a copy.

Sanchez Romate vinegar
Pair your olive oil with a touch of sherry vinegar. Our Sanchez Romate vinegar started life 25 years ago as sherry wine. It sat around, maturing and enjoying the weather. It slowly converted to vinegar as it aged in oak barrels. This is a vinegar best enjoyed while reclining.

There you have it — a stress free, no prep lunch to set you up for a quick siesta. A brief continental respite from a busy day. Simple, relaxing, beautiful.

Jess Piskor
Retail Scribe