It’s not spring in New York until New Yorkers get their spring onions. For Boqueria, the arrival of spring onions at the green market brings the celebration of Spain’s annual Calçotada - a deliciously messy feast of calçot dipping and rosé wine drinking.

The tradition originated in the Catalan town of Valls when a local farmer named Xat de Benaiges planted the sprouts of garden onions and continued to cover them with earth so the longer portion of the stem would remain white and edible. This practice, known as calçar, means “to cover the trunk of a plant with soil” as well as “to put one’s shoes on.”

(No, you won’t see us wearing these funny little hats.)

The calçots (a variety of spring onion from Lerida, Spain) are charred on a grill and wrapped in newspaper so they steam and become tender. The darkened outer skin is removed, which surprisingly slides off with ease, to reveal the white part of the calçot that’s ready to be dipped in salbitxada, or romesco sauce.

Photo by Alícia

Though Catalonians like wearing bibs during the messy affair, we recommend making a romesco sauce thick enough to stick to the calçot without dripping. Here’s Chef Marc Vidal’s drip-proof recipe.

Boqueria’s Romesco Recipe:

Ingredients

• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup of hazelnuts
• 5 nyora peppers, cut in half, deseeded and blended until smooth
• 3 thin slices of baguette
• 20 parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 tbsp sherry vinegar

Directions
• De-stem the tomatoes and cut an x on the top. Line a sheet pan with foil and place tomatoes and garlic cloves on top. Drizzle with olive oil and put in oven for 1 hour at 400 degrees. Remove and when cool, peel the charred tomato skins.
• Fry the hazelnuts in a pot of oil until golden brown.
• Fry the slices of baguette until crispy.
• Blend ALL ingredients in a blender until smooth, adding the oil a little at a time to make sure a thick consistency is kept.
• Add salt to taste

Boqueria’s own Calçotada will be held on Memorial Day, May 27^th, 2013 on the sidewalk in front of our Flatiron location. Along with calçots and dipping sauce, we’ll be serving our house-made butifarra sausage, smoked paprika vinaigrette, and fava beans with rosé wine poured from porróns (these things):

Photo By Mr. Beattie

So stop by, eat, drink, and be messy.


We are excited to feature, as part of our artisanal meat selection, the 5J brand of Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, a free-range, acorn-fed Pata Negra that is recognized as the finest ham in the world!



To introduce this amazing product to those who may not have it before, we will feature a complimentary tasting served with your dinner at each of our locations on select evenings (call ahead to check to availability):



Soho: May 7th, 8th & 9th


Flatiron: May 20th, 21st, & 22nd


Washington DC: June 3rd, 4th & 5th



The Countryside of Jabugo, Home of the Pata Negra

Jabugo’s special micro-climate and vast pastures make it the perfect environment to rear pure Iberian pigs. Jabugo’s pastures are made up of far-stretching woodlands of holm and cork oaks, where aromatic herbs such as thyme and rosemary abound - the perfect compliment for our pigs’ diet. Combined with their diet of acorns, the exercise the pigs get while searching for food, ensures that they fatten at a slower rate and allows fat to accumulate even more between their muscle fibers. The result is an unrivaled texture, aroma and taste.



Production

During the production process, the ham is cooled and cut in a V shape, the outer fat is removed, then it is salted, cleaned, weighed, dried and cured in natural cellars. After 36 months of aging the ham is put through a rigorous selection process to ensure that only the best pieces are finally chosen.

How to Enjoy Cinco Jotas Jamón Ibérico de Bellota
- Enjoy it on its own or accompanied by fresh bread
- Pair with a nice dry Sherry or with a glass of Rioja
- Most importantly…don’t forget to enjoy it in the company of good friends!!

This morning, DC chef Brian and I got up early and headed out to his secret ramp patch in Virginia.

Armed with rubber gloves to fend off poison ivy and two big bags we headed down a small horse path deep into the woods. As we approached the top of a small hill, we could see an opening in the woods. The morning sunlight poured in revealing dark green patches of ramps everywhere - enough to keep our prep cooks busy cleaning for years.

We planted ourselves in the mud and began to finesse the tender bulbs from the ground. Making friends with earthworms and gnats as we worked, we soon had two full sacks of ramps.

Brian tossed them in the back of his truck and we headed back into Washington with our booty.

The chefs in DC are busy plotting how to best use this special ingredient on tonight’s Market Menu, and I’m foraging for a way to get half this bounty back to New York and Chef Marc without making an entire Amtrak car smell like a wild onion.

~ Zack Bezunartea
Boqueria Dir. of Operations

From wine maker José Pintos comes this beautifully full-flavored and complex Albariño with notes of green apple and a long clean mineral finish.  José’s south-southwest facing vineyard is located in the heart of Val de Salnés in Galicia, the home of Albariño. Through meticulous vineyard work and a natural approach to production, José exhibits a great deal of pride and care in his work. With only 600 cases produced a year and only 100 reaching the US market we are truly honored to have it as part of our current selection from importer Gerry Dawes.

 To read more about José Pintos and the history of his wine please visit Gerry Dawes Selections

Next in our series of Galician wines imported by Gerry Dawes is the Lagar de Candes, hailing from a family run vineyard and winery located in the village of Meaño in Val de Salnés. Eulogio Gondar, the fourth generation winemaker of the family, marries both modern and artisanal winemaking techniques to produce the 2010 Albariño. The wine shows a great deal of complexity, notes of orange blossoms, pear and lime and racing acidity. The unique microclimate of the area produces wines perfectly balanced with acid and sugar and the granite-laced soil imparts an outstanding minerality.

To read more about the vineyard and winery of Lagar de Candes please visit Gerry Dawes Selections

As part of our spring line up of Galician wines from importer Gerry Dawes is the Avó Roxo 2010 Albariño. This is truly a family run winery, founded originally in the 1930’s by Serafín Gondar who’s nick name, Avó Roxo (Grandfather Purple), provides the name of this wine. The winery and 1.5 hectors of land dedicated solely to Albariño, was subsequently passed down to Serafín’s son Antonio Gondar in 1975 and most recently to his grandson Antonio Gandar Moldes in 2007. Adega Avó Roxo has won several awards over the years, including 1st place at the XXII Albariño Wine Festival in Cambados in 1974, and has enjoyed success as one of the most famous wineries in the region. The hard work of Antonio Gandar Moldes in continuing the success of the family vineyard has awarded them induction in the “Asociación de Bodegas Artesanas” a “group of small grower-producers who rebelled against commercial wine styles in Rías Baixas and produce their own unique wines using native yeasts.” We are honored to feature the Adegas’ 2010 Albariño, deep and full bodied with citrus notes of lime and orange and a stunning salty minerality imparted by the local ocean breezes.

To read more about this family run winery please visit Gerry Dawes Selections

The 6.3 acres of vineyard of Manolo Dovalo, who produces the Rozas Albariño, are home to vines that have been producing Albariño for generations and was originally founded for the family’s own consumption. As part of the “Asociación de Bodegas Artesanas,” the bodega incorporates minimal modern wine making techniques while maintaining strong family traditions to ensure pure, artisanal wines. The bodega’s limited production allows Dovalo to personally asses the picking of grapes at their optimal ripeness. The Rozas Albariño, like many in Gerry Dawes’ selection, shows great complexity and minerality with notes of lime zest, tart orange, a kaleidoscopic of minerality, lemongrass, gentle leesy tones and a touch of smoke.

For more information about this wine and the rich history of the vineyard please visit Gerry Dawes Selections

From our spring line up of rare Galician wines imported by Gerry Dawes

Winemaker Paco Dovalo López has been making his signature wine for over 100 years in an old granite stone farmhouse inherited from his ancestors. It wasn’t until 1989 that Cabaleiro do Val was officially incorporated as a bodega. Also part of the Asociación de Bodegas Artesanas, Paco strives to incorporate modern techniques while maintaining the artisan methods of his ancestors. It is because of Paco that Gerry Dawes was first introduced to the group of artisan producers and has gained access to their exceptional body of work. The 2010 Cabaleiro do Val shows deep flavors of grapefruit, orange peel and stone minerality, great balance and a soil-driven finish.

For more about winemaker Paco Dovalo López and the Cabaleiro do Val please visit Gerry Dawes Selections

The first in our spring series of Galician wine imported by Gerry Dawes is the Adegas D. Berna, from Valdeorras, a Spanish DO located along the river Sil in the province of Ourense in Southern Galicia. The winery is owned by young husband and wife team Berna Guitián and Elena Blanco. In collaboration with consulting enologist José Luis Murcia, regarded as the utmost expert on Godello in all of Valdeorras, they have introduced their first vintage of Godello. The Adegas D. Berna Godello is brilliant white gold with an intriguing nose of white peach and beautiful  minerality. The wine presents a silky sweet mouthful of white peach fruit with a long mineral finish laced with hints of peach pit and almond.

For more information about Adegas D. Berna please visit
Gerry Dawes Selections