la espagnola

la espagnola
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

mike & i toured the meat plant at la espagnola in harbor city. they make a variety of gourmet charcuterie meat products as well as importer of spanish foods, including rice, olives, meats and cheeses.

alex, the son of husband and wife who originally started the company because the only chorizo in california in the 60s was mexican, informed us of the history as well as the traditional process they use for curing meats as evident in the moldy casings. it may sound gross, but it's a process that has been used for decades in the caves of europe.

completely safe, and producing a more refined flavor, it is a process that few companies these days use because it is more time-consuming. like some fine wines, apparently, meats can come to fruition with aging. we sampled some of their 18-month cured serrano hams, which was surprisingly not as salty as we imagined, but delicate not only in cut but in flavor.

there's a deli adjacent to the plant where you can purchase a variety of gourmet food items, and an outdoor patio area where after the tour we dined on tasty paella made in a huge pan with chicken, shrimp, several types of sausage, pimentos. i bought some rice to try to make some at home.