Wine & Words

From the arid Mediterranean climate of Murcia, comes one of the finest organic Spanish extra virgin olive oils. Casa Pareja balances the distinctive fruit flavors of true Mediterranean cuisine, with a soft and mildly peppery finish. True organic Arbequina olives, grown from 400 year old trees, are the key ingredient in distinguishing Casa Pareja olive oil, and recognizing it's pure natural quality, its bright hue, and its floral and peppery flavors. This is the one we use on toast, instead of butter. It's better for you and tastes great!

Quince paste is called Crema de Membrillo in Spanish. The word membrillo derives from the Latin melimelum, which means honey apple and refers to quince or a preserve made of quince. This relative of the apple and pear is a native of the Caucasus resembling a large, yellow, lumpy pear. Making quince preserves was one of the first uses of the pectin that occurs naturally in fruit. Spanish quince paste is most often eaten with traditional Spanish cheeses, such as Manchego and aged Mahon.

The English Stillroom was the housekeeper's domain, where she distilled essences and extracted oils from herbs and flowers to flavor her recipes and made the natural lotions and potions for the household. Lemon curd is a wonderful example of a stillroom product. They are made in small batches, using dairy butter and fresh eggs from the farmer down the road. This Lemon Curd is, perhaps, the best we have tasted, with an intensely lemony flavor that is delicately balanced with the sweetness of sugar and butter.
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In the Fertile Ebro River Valley of Navarra in northern Spain, a few artisan companies jar vegetables of premium quality. One of their specialties and an important feature of Spanish cuisine is the piquillo pepper. These small red peppers are grilled on beech and oak charcoal, individually hand peeled, and preserved according to traditional craftsmanship to maintain all of their aromas, flavors and texture. The flavor is sweet and distinctly different from the roasted red bell peppers to which you might be accustomed.
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