Welcome to the La Quercia Blog!

Welcome to the La Quercia Blog!

Welcome to the La Quercia Artisan Cured Meats (La Kwair-cha) Blog.  This is where you can find our commentary about what we make, how we make it, how we see our farmers changing, what other people are saying about us, how we see the world (well our world anyway).  We'll post pictures here, put recipes and serving ideas here, and try not to get too wordy. Thanks for visiting.

February 9, 2011 La Quercia Acorn Edition V - Berkshire Pigs

December was a wild month, a fitting end to a pretty crazy year. There were the Christmas and New Year's celebrations - people ordering gifts for friends, retail stores and restaurants organizing parties, all the attendant festivities that so often include delicious dry cured meats! And then we have our La Quercia Woodland Tamworth pigs and our Berkshire Acorn Edition V pigs to work with. That meat is a joy and since the acorns and other woodland nuts are seasonal, the meat must also be seasonal, so it all makes for a very busy time!

And now it's February. What happened?

I wrote earlier about our La Quercia Woodland Tamworth pigs raised by Russ Kremer in the Missouri Ozarks. The next group of pigs is from B & B Farms just south of Grinnell, Iowa. B & B is a highly diversified farming operation. Barney and Suzanne try to raise all their own feed for their pigs and cattle. When Barney goes to the mill, for example, he waits so he can get his own soybeans extruded (milled flat, like oatmeal, so the pigs can eat them - and they're pretty tasty to most palates!) and loaded back into his truck. Here are some of their pigs - purebred, pasture raised Berkshire:

 

 

 

You can see why I call them "Prairie Porpoises."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gabe and a marmalade kitten!

 

 

 

And here are some of their cows in a woodland lot:

 

 

 

 

 

Suzanne and Barney (and their adorable son Gabe) have raised acorn fed purebred Berkshire pigs for us for several years. The meat is amazing both fresh and cured, reflective of the breed and the excellent animal husbandry. This year, we brought in only front and hind legs from their pigs;Eden Farms took the rest of the meat to sell fresh and frozen. You can find out about it on their website.

 

I love working with the Acorn Edition and Woodland meat. It is so clean and fresh - great color and aroma even in the combos and on the rack before trimming and salting. I am very partial to Berkshire pigs in particular - they are delightful to look at, delicious to eat - and this year's meat from B & B was terrific.

 

Here are a few of the hams on a rack, waiting to be salted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were beautiful, big, fat hams and will be with us for up to three years. Aging right along with Herb and me - so exciting!

January 23, 2012: Ruth Holbrook Joins La Quercia!

We’re thrilled to welcome Ruth Holbrook to our team here at La Quercia to work with us in Marketing and Sales Support. Ruth will focus on supporting our sales efforts and distributor relationships, merchandising, product management, and marketing programs. Ruth has been a part time merchandising consultant for La Quercia for over a year, most notably editing the structure and content of our website and brochures so we are looking forward to getting the benefit of her talents full time. She comes to us with a strong background in specialty foods retail and merchandising, as well as a longstanding commitment to sustainable agriculture and humane animal farming practices. We are sure you'll like working with Ruth as much as we do.

January 4, 2012: Il Re del Prosciutto - The King of Prosciutto!

For anyone who understands Italian, this is just too much fun! A very nice piece by Daniela Roveda of Il Sole-24 Ore, Italy's equivalent of The Wall Street Journal. She came for a visit yesterday, on a break from covering the caucuses. 

Il Sole-24 Ore - 2012-01-04 - Pag. 20

Vedi ritaglio giornale »

Tecnica importata. Herb Eckhouse ha appreso l'arte a Parma e fondato il salumificio La Quercia a Norwalk 

Ma il re del prosciutto è pro-Obama 

LA CHIAVE DEL SUCCESSO 
Partito dal garage di casa come i profeti dell'high tech ha ora un'azienda famosa in tutto il Paese per la qualità e per le produzioni biologiche 

Daniela Roveda

NORWALK (IOWA)
Non c'è assolutamente nulla in Iowa che ricordi seppur lontanamente l'Italia: non il paesaggio, piatto e uniforme, né la gente di ceppo britannico e germanico, né il fervore religioso dell'elettorato repubblicano. Ma c'è una notevole eccezione: un prosciutto che fa invidia al miglior San Daniele, prodotto da un nativo dell'Iowa, che voterà di nuovo per Obama e ieri sera non è andato ai caucus repubblicani. Herb Eckhouse è l'imprenditore italofilo che ha appreso l'arte del prosciutto a Parma (dove ha vissuto per tre anni per vendere agli agricoltori emiliani le sementi prodotte dalla americana Pioneer) e l'ha poi importata nel cuore del Midwest. «Quando ho deciso di produrre prosciutto in Iowa, tutti mi hanno preso per pazzo in America, mentre gli italiani non hanno nemmeno dato peso all'idea» racconta Eckhouse, 62 anni, fondatore insieme alla moglie Kathy del salumificio La Quercia a Norwalk, 20 minuti dal centro di Des Moines. Come Steve Jobs e Bill Gates, i profeti dell'high tech che iniziarono a fabbricare i loro computer nei loro garage nella Silicon Valley, anche Herb iniziò a fare il prosciutto nel garage di casa sua a Norwalk, stagionandolo inizialmente nel frigo e spostandolo poi in cantina. I primi dieci prosciutti sperimentali risultarono così buoni da convincerlo nel 2003 a ipotecare la casa e investire tutti i risparmi nel primo prosciuttificio interamente biologico d'America, dove la carne proviene da animali allevati con foraggio biologico, senza antibiotici e in spazi sufficientemente ampi da potersi muovere liberamente. «Per produrre un buon prosciutto ci vuole l'aria di Parma, mi avevano detto, oltre che un'esperienza millenaria, animali di un certo peso e una certa età, strutture particolari per la stagionatura, manodopera specializzata. Posso dire che non è vero. Il mio prosciutto non respira l'aria di Parma ma è altrettanto buono».

Non solo è altrettanto buono, ma è prodotto nel rispetto di tecniche artigianali e di tradizioni ormai cadute in disuso in Italia. Un tipo di prosciutto La Quercia proviene per esempio da una razza particolare di suini, la razza Berkshire, nutrita esclusivamente con ghiande nella storica tradizione parmense, una regione che originalmente era un immenso querceto. Un'altra varietà di prosciutto proviene da un'altra razza pura di suini, la Tamworth; il prosciutto proveniente da razze ibride, invece, viene sommariamente bollato "prosciutto americano".
Grazie all'enfasi sulla qualità, nel giro degli ultimi cinque o sei anni il prosciutto La Quercia è diventato un nome tra gli appassionati di buona cucina negli Stati Uniti, e la fabbrica La Quercia è diventata un'oasi d'Italia nelle steppe dell'Iowa: l'impianto di refrigerazione per esempio viene dalla Frigomeccanica di Mosciano Sant'Angelo in provincia di Teramo, gli scaffali per la stagionatura dalla CFI di San Michele di Tiorre in provincia di Parma, le insaccatrici e le massaggiatrici dalla Saimec, anch'essa di San Michele.

Per emulare la qualità del prosciutto italiano non bastano però macchinari e impianti, ci vuole il know how, ci vuole qualcuno che conosca l'arte della lavorazione artigianale. Per Eckhouse quel qualcuno si chiama Giorgio Giuffredi, consulente e titolare insieme al fratello Pietro del salumificio San Luigi di Langhirano in provincia di Parma. Giuffredi ha iniziato qualche anno fa a fare la spola tra Parma e l'Iowa per aiutare Eckhouse nella sua impresa: ha insegnato al personale dei mattatoi come macellare l'animale, ha insegnato ai 28 dipendenti de La Quercia a quale temperatura stagionare la carne, come usare gli impianti di areazione e refrigfrazione, come disossare un prosciutto.

La fama dei prodotti La Quercia nel frattempo è cresciuta in modo esponenziale. L'anno scorso il prosciutto Berkshire ha vinto il premio Good Food d'America nella categoria dei prodotti di salumeria, i prodotti La Quercia sono stati recensiti con entusiasmo dalla rivista Bon Appetit, dal New York Times e dal Los Angeles Times; i grandi ristoranti d'America vantano nei loro menu la provenienza del prosciutto usato in cucina, non dall'Italia ma dall'Iowa.
Il successo del salumificio La Quercia è tale che la produzione ha raggiunto 50mila prosciutti all'anno. Il valore del fatturato è top secret, ma nei supermercati americani e canadesi il prosciutto di Eckhouse (più speck, coppa, pancetta, lardo e fra poco anche salsicce) si vende a 40-45 euro al chilo. Il sogno di Eckhouse è esportare in Italia, ma i regolamenti europei sono così onerosi da rendere proibitivi i costi. «Forse un giorno ci riuscirò».

 

New Year's Eve Table

 

We had a small gathering of friends over for New Year's Eve and a few of us actually managed to stay up and toast the new year! The menu was very simple: a few fine cheeses, vegetarian chili with corn served with lime wedges, ciabatta, a beautiful bowl of fresh, bright vegetables, apples and clementines scattered acrosss the table, Rustichella d'Abruzzo panettone for desssert (classically served with sparkling wine, so that's what we did!).

But the star of the show was a bone-in, hoof-on Acorn Edition IV Berkshire spallacia. So delicate and sumptuous at the same time, savory yet sweet,           truly succulent, and wonderful food theatre! Here's a picture of Herb starting to slice it up. This particular pig came from B & B Farms near Grinnell, Iowa. I'm doing a new post soon on this season's Acorn Edition pigs from Barney, Suzanne, and Gabe.

 

We also had some wonderful cheeses from The Cheese Shop of Des Moines: Zingerman's Creamery Lincoln Log, Parmigiano Reggiano, Stichelton from Neal's Yard Dairy, and Bayley Hazen Blue from Jasper Hill Farm. Seriously delicious. Thank you for the great assortment, CJ and Kari!

 

 

 

This time of year, winter vegetables are great crisp, raw, and unadorned. The radishes were amazing!

 

And here's the table in the early stages of preparation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 14, 2011 Woodland Tamworth Acorn Edition

The sacrifice of the second group of Woodland Tamworth Acorn Edition pigs was December 8th and they arrived at La Quercia early today. Once again, the meat is simply beautiful - lovely deep rose color, sweet smell, excellent fat layer. Russ Kremer is the man behind the pigs, the extraordinary pig farmer who has been working with us for 6 years and was thrilled to finally have a partner is raising true woodland raised animals. The following is a synopsis of his "Woodland Tamworth Notes."

 

 

 

Russ really loves his pigs. Here he is with a Tamworth piglet.

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

And here's the woodland.

 

 

 

 

At the end of August, Russ put 94 Tamworth pigs (average weight 100 lbs) into the first of a series of 5 acre paddocks. Pigs were moved to a new paddock weekly. The perimeter of the individual paddocks was secured by an electric fence. The woodlot was 90 percent tree covered; tree species included white oak, black oak, pin oak, bur oak, hickory, walnut, persimmon, and ash. 

Acorns and forest mast comprised about 50 percent of the pigs' diet. There was a supplemental feed ration of barley, grain sorghum, and flax with vitamin/trace mineral supplement. Acorn drop started in the first half of September. The white oak acorn crop was particularly abundant, so the fencing was adjusted to focus on areas with lots of white oaks. In mid-October the first frost occured, resulting in significant leaf and nut drop.

Russ noted that the pigs exhibited great stewardship habits and caused very little scarring or other damage to trees and vegetation. They did not engage in extensive rooting (NB: these pigs did not have nose rings!). About 90 percent of the pigs thrived on a diet consisting mostly of acorns and other nuts. There was a sad group of 10 percent which did not like the acorns, did not grow well, and were not part of either of the two sacrifices in December. By the end of the grazing and foraging cycle (early December) the pigs' average weight was 300 pounds. These are rates of gain comparable to those of pigs on the Spanish dehesa.

These are the pigs we have been working with last week and this week. 

Here's some of the meat at La Quercia. 

 

 

 

 

 

Gladis and I are salting the hind legs (so are Herb and Juan - that's Herb's hat in the foreground and Juan's hand across from me!). The Woodland Tamworth Acorn Edition Prosciutto will be ready in two years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herb is moving a rack of hind legs into the cooler. Love their feet!

December 6, 2011 - Woodland Tamworth Acorn Edition

Three generations of nurturing endangered heirloom Tamworth pigs by the Kremer family in Missouri, 6 years of work by Russ Kremer and La Quercia to get a Tamworth program going, La Quercia Tamworth Prosciutto and La Quercia Tamworth Country Cured Bacon (it IS the bacon pig!) launched, and then this summer into winter - Acorn Edition Woodland Tamworth . These pigs have been rotationally grazed on a large oak and hickory woodlot, moved every few days, much as the swine herds of medieval Europe moved their pigs through the forests every fall. They were in the woods until last week, when the first half were sent to "sacrifice." They arrived here at La Quercia yesterday afternoon and we are spending this week cutting, trimming, and salting. 

 

 

This is the forest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here's a Tamworth pig in the forest.

 

 

 

 

 

The meat from these pigs is just beautiful - deep rosy color, great layer of white fat, clean sweet smell. You can tell that these animals have lived well and fully. This is a significant step in our work with pork varietals - animal breed and animal husbandry combining to make wonderful meat.

It's a big and complicated project that really does involve generations and communities. It's exciting and challenging and a tremendous amount of work for everyone involved. None of this just happens. These animals were raised in a sustainable system that honors their natures and the integrity of the land. Now the pigs are embarking on the next stage of their journey to your plates. We will do our best to honor the pigs and the farmers who raised them by treating the meat with great care and respect. I will be posting some more pictures of the meat here at La Quercia as we cut, trim, and salt. Next week the next batch of woodland pigs arrives. And soon after that, a group of pasture raised, acorn fed Berkshire pigs. The journey continues!

November 16, 2011: Acorn Edition IV Subscription Spallacia

When we make Spallacia (dry cured front leg) for our Acorn Edition program, we leave the foot and the leg on, and this is what they look like.  I think it's beautiful!

Delicious too!

Herb

November 11, 2011

I was very foolish when in Philadelphia last month and totally forgot to take pictures of the amazing food we ate at JG Domestic's "Meet the Maker" dinner on October 24th. Foolish and now sad, because the food was as lovely as it was delicious. On the other hand, I totally focussed on the awesome experience of the meal, which it absolutely deserved!

And - the service was impeccable. Friendly yet totally unobtrusive, attentive and respectful. And I thoroughly enjoyed all the wines.

First Course: 

ENSELADA DE CABEZA

Baby Romaine Hearts, Cotija-Anchovy Crema,

La Quercia Acorn Edition Prosciutto, Pig's Head Porchetta

Wine: Chardonnay, Johnson Family, Sonoma Coast, CA 2008

I loved this course and I don't like head cheese, which is exactly what the Pig's Head Porchetta was! All the flavors were delicate, but distinct and clear. The textures worked together to create distinction and interest (the "porchetta" was unctuous and smooth, the romaine crisp and bright, the prosciutto smooth and luscious). 

Major and unheralded bonus: The best classic dinner rolls I've ever eaten, served in the rectangular cast-iron pan they were baked in - ethereally light, but so satisfying and toasty warm!

Second Course:

SMOKED CHICKEN DUMPLINGS

Braised Collards, Consomme, 

Crispy La Quercia Guanciale Americano

Wine: Viognier-Copain "Tous Ensemble," Mendocino, CA 2009

The dumplings were like little wontons - star-shaped and filled with smoked chicken, deep green braised collards and crispy cubes of guanciale floating in a light broth that was still redolent of pork and chicken. Nice touch: the bowls were rectangular, setting off the angular dumplings. 

Third Course:

MORCILLA

House Blood Sausage, Poached Farm Egg,

Smoked Paprika Sabayon, La Quercia American Lomo,

Confit Fingerlings

Wine: Malbec, Peirano Estate, Lodi, CA 2008

Just to start - what could be better than pork and potatoes and eggs? Especially when the egg is vividly fresh and deeply golden, sous-vide cooked to quivering perfection, the lomo is from Tamworth pigs raised outdoors in the Missouri Ozarks, the smoked paprika of the sabayon echoes the Pimenton de la Vera Dulce used in curing the lomo, the blood sausage is intense yet also delicately flavored, and the tiny potatoes yield to fork to sop up the delicious juices. And the wine was sturdy enough to stand up to all those rich flavors.

Fourth Course:

PANCETTA WRAPPED COBIA

La Quercia Pancetta Americana, Black Truffle,

Savoy Cabbage Fondue

Wine: Pinot Noir, Triseatum "Trisae," Willamette, OR 2008

This was another beautifully plated dish (oh, how I wish I had taken pictures!). La Quercia Pancetta Tesa (flat) wrapped snugly around cobia (cooked sous vide and infused with black truffle) and then delicately browned, served over a bed of meltingly tender and mild savoy cabbage. 

Dessert:

CREMA

Goat's Cheese Panna Cotta, Huckleberry Jam,

Maple & La Quercia Tamworth Country Bacon Caramel,

Pine Nut Streusel

Wine: Gerwurztraminer, Montinore Estate, Willamette, OR 2009

The huckleberry jam was made with local berries, the panna cotta was perfectly sweetened and impeccably creamy, with just a hint of nice nanny goat to offset the sugar. This is what cheesecake should be! A revelation, like the head cheese!!

 Kathy

 

 

November 4, 2011 - Special Dinners in Philadelphia

As noted in my previous post, we spent a few days in Philadelphia last month, for work and for family, and were able to most pleasantly combine the two. Dinner at Iron Chef Jose Garces's Amada, Ultimate Frisbee, Capogiro ice cream, schmaltz (La Quercia Iowa White Spread) and pretzels at Oktober Fest at Swarthmore College, American history - just great! 

Philadelphia is the home base for a great coffee company - La Colombe Torrefaction - which also has branches In New York City and Chicago. Committed to social and environmental responsibility, and the coffee is wonderful. A serious rival to the best cappucinos in the United States (the ones Herb makes at home). And tasty pastries as well!

During the course of our very pleasant walk on Sunday, we stopped by Barbuzzo, a terrific "Meditteranean Kitchen & Bar." The owners, Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, are "pioneering entrepreneurs whose six restaurants and boutiques on 13th Street in Philadelphia have helped transform the once-desolate neighborhood into trendy midtown village." We are honored that Barbuzzo uses our prosciutto! We decided to gamble on seats for Herb, Aaron, and me that evening and were lucky enough to get a spot at the bar. Delicious food! The roasted beet salad was stupendous. The pizza is great - crust with crisp and chew, airy and substantial at the same time, delicate and well balanced toppings. Try the "Fico" with fresh figs, gorgonzola dolce, La Quercia Rossa Berkshire Prosciutto, arugula, and pomegranate molasses. Great pasta - we loved the trecce with rabbit and a great cover of tortelli di zucca. And whatever else you do, order the salted caramel budino (chocolate crust, vanilla bean caramel, and sea salt) - it is divine!

Monday at JG Domestic

This was a most extraordinary event. Iron Chef Jose Garces has eight establishments (here's a link to The Garces Group on the web). Last year he came to Iowa with Paul Kahan and visited us at La Quercia. We fed them dinner, although he and Paul did most of the cooking. He is one of the nicest people we've ever met - warm, authentic, and kind. I call him a teddy bear ninja (I hope he doesn't find that offensive! It's a total compliment in my book). JG Domestic is right by the main Philadelphia train station and features fine American artisan foods.

 

 

 

 

 

Iron Chef Jose Garces and Aaron Eckhouse at JG Domestic, at the start of their first "Meet the Maker Dinner" - this one with La Quercia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here's a link to the menu. To start, there was a beautiful and abundant array of La Quercia salumi (Acorn Edition III Prosciutto, La Quercia Lomo, and La Quercia Speck) and passed appetizers including toasts topped with sea urchin and La Quercia Iberico de Bellota Lardo. Wine and a deadly and delectable punch. Then there were four courses plus dessert, with excellent wine pairings and impeccable service. Elegant, intimate, delicious delicious delicious.  More detail in the next post.

The Acorn Edition Prosciutto is from our special program, now in its fifth year. The farmers feed the pigs acorns for the last three months before "sacrifice" and we bring in the entire animal, literally everything from snout to tail. We cure everything that can be cured and make the trim into a very special fresh sausage. You can learn more about the Acorn Pigs here: La Quercia Acorn Edition.

November 3, 2011 - Travels to Philadelphia

Lots of travel and very few photos to show for it, but some great culinary experiences. We love Philadelphia - we learned to appreciate it when two of our three (four, if you count La Quercia!) children attended Swarthmore College, a quick and easy regional rail ride from Center City Philadelphia. You can start with some of the best ice cream in the United States - Capogiro Gelato. Artisanal, seasonal, regional, innovative, and totally delicious. We try to get there whenever we can. In December and January they have candied chestnut ice cream. The June strawberry ice cream is sublime!  In the fall, it's fresh fig.

As noted, our Swarthmore student (in his senior year) is a big draw and we were able to go to an Ultimate Frisbee game. There's a photo of Aaron and Herb at the game below. I love Ultimate Frisbee - this was a tournament and we watched Swarthmore vs Franklin & Marshall. College sports at their best - self reffing, no contact, good sportsmanship. Take that, NCAA!

Here are Herb and Aaron watching the field. Sadly, Swarthmore lost, but they were fun to watch and impressively fair minded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So - we spent some time at Swarthmore, but we spent even more time in Philadelphia, particularly eating particularly delicious food. Aaron joined us for every meal!

First night - Friday, October 21. Dinner at Chef Jose Garces's Amada. Lively, crowded, and noisy, full of vim and vigor. Excellent food and great service even though we squeezed in at the bar. Aaron spent part of last year in Barcelona and he was thrilled to see some of his favorites on the menu and even happier when he tasted them. Special highlights, all washed down with Cava: Pimientos de Padron, Croquetas de Jamon, Fideos con Mariscos, Calcots con Salbitxada, Pulpo a la Gallega, Cocas con Alcachofas y Setas, and for dessert the Crema Catalana and the Dulce y Amarga. Delicioso!

On Saturday, we did a demo at Di Bruno Brothers' Rittenhouse Square store. It's a great store and they have a nice selection of La Quercia meats, including our fabulous guanciale.

There's the store in the old Italian section of Philadelphia (classic, traditional, redolent of spices, cheeses and meats, very old school), and a third store in Ardmore.

 

Here's Herb talking to some customers at the Rittenhouse Square store. It's really fun to give tastes of delicious American artisan prosciutto to appreciative (and sometime surprised) eaters!

 

 

 

 

Saturday night we had beer and sausages with the German Club of Swarthmore in celebration of Oktober Fest (no, none of us speaks or studies German, but we are friends with Professor Hans-Jakob Werlen, who is also a leader of Slow Food in Pennsylvania). The highlight of the meal for me (and I hate to sound so chauvinistic), was our Iowa White Spread on soft, warm pretzels. The native-born Germans were ecstatic- real schmaltz!  

 

The pretzels were good, too!

 

 

On to Sunday! We took a lovely walk through the heart of Philadelphia to Penn's Landing, where (can you guess?) William Penn landed in 1682. Here's a photo looking toward downtown from the esplanade along the river.

One of the great things about Philadelphia is that it is chock full of iconic and very accessible pieces of American history. The Liberty Bell. Independence Hall, Carpenters' Hall. Betsy Ross's home.The home or business place of this or that significant figure - founding father, mother, child. Abundant and very fine statuary in charming parks. One of my favorite "installations" is the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier in Washington Square. Words from George Washington's Farewell Address of 1796 are inscribed on it. You can read them in this photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next installment: Two amazing meals! Great food is another great thing about Philadelphia!