Ewephoria!
You have been missing out if you haven't tried our Torta Cañarejal cheese. This very special farmstead cheese just arrived from Spain. The Santos family in Valladolid lovingly make it and ship it to us every other month via air. Their herd of happy sheep graze close to the Duero river in the area of the Pago de Cañarejal as they feed on numerous aromatic plants like thyme, rosemary, and oregano.
All of these things come together to create an unpasteurized, indulgently creamy ewe's milk cheese that is a bit on the stinky side but absolutely delicious. Imagine a camembert that's perfectly ripened and five times stronger with an unsurpassed finesse and oozing with complex flavors.
Directions: 1. Purchase by the unit (impossible to cut but very easy to share) 2. Carve off the round top of the cheese and dig in to treat yourself to scoops of "ewephoria".
Warning: Has been known to cause addiction….
Mother's Day Special Pairing Sunday May 12th
In Spain we always say that no one makes tortilla quite like mom. The motherly touch is that magical ingredient no doubt for all of those nostalgic memories that incite us to appreciate and reminisce fondly of home.
For this reason on Mother's Day, we have chosen to skip tortilla on our menu and decided instead to select a variety of our market cheese selections perfectly paired with a flight of three unique sparkling bubbly Cavas all for you and mom to enjoy! Spending a day with MAMA should never involve stress and fidgeting with reservations and missed deadlines to send flowers.
Stop by Despaña on Sunday May 12th for this special tasting that will be offered from noon to 6pm at $45 for two. NO reservations required!
Paella!
A word that describes one of the most universal dishes of Spain. A simple dish that originated in the rice fields where farmers would gather ingredients from the surrounding elements- rabbit, vegetables, grains etc. and cooked away in a round cast iron pan, hence named “paella” pan to make the most flavorful dish to feed the family during hard times.
We have come a long way since then and this dish today is prepared in various manners and with plenty of creative ingredients. A hot topic of debate among Spaniards which discuss what are the authentic ingredients of a paella dish. There is even a protected recipe that was created for a true Paella Valenciana. Do we use short grain rice from Valencia or Calasparra? Should we splurge on Bomba quality or not? Do we use garlic or onions in the recipe? When do we put in the broth? What main ingredients do we put in first or last? Should we cover the pan or not? Should it be soupy or contain that crunchy socarrat? Chorizo in the recipe? Ay Dios! We say as manufacturers, why not? One thing for sure to remember is not to stir once the rice has set.
Share your stories of paella memories with us on our facebook page and enter for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate for use in any of our Despaña stores in New York. Join us this weekend at Jimmys’No.43 for a Paella Cook off benefit event. One of our own Chef Jaume will be preparing a family recipe inherited from his godmother “Teto”.
Valencian Tile y Mas,...
Hola Friends! Do you recognize our famously photographed and sourced tile from Valencia Spain in Despaña SoHo?
Well here it is and part of a snippet of our progress in Despaña Princeton, NJ. An insider’s view to what will become our semi open kitchen on the first floor of our establishment on Nassau & Olden. When we say “Oh my God” did we ever imagine all of the extra, extra work to pass all reviews by borough inspectors we really mean- tough to handle! Y no, no, no es la obra del Escorial!
We have done most of it, are still working at it and despite some minor tweaks we expect to open doors in June 2013 if not a bit sooner. I guess Spring will ring in new airs of tortilla Española, croquetas, jamon Iberico, paellas, Cabrales cheese y mas for us to continue spreading our warmth of Spain in new communities. Oh yes, our pet bull also arrived from Spain to live in his new space.
Here we come Princeton, get ready!
Arts & Wine Week Instituto Cervantes
Not to be missed!! Despaña invites you to join for a series of evenings devoted to the joy of Spanish wine and culture presented by Instituto Cervantes New York.
Click here for tickets and further info
