Joselito goes to Holland

It was a known fact that Joselito is «el mejor jamón del mundo», yet tasting it paired with the dishes of one of the best chefs in the world is rather impressive. The first year, the «best possible ham» was an ingredient used by Ferràn Adrià, the second flew to Italy to be shaped by Massimiliano Alajmo and now, in the third year, it has entered the kitchen of Jonnie Boer, chef with three Michelin stars at De Librije in Zwolle, little over an hour from Amsterdam.

Jamón Joselito is good because its «pigs are happy» and so is their patron. «I personally control every ham that comes out of my factory - says Josè Gomez - I could increase the production, but it would no longer be my ham. Happiness is not about money, it’s about doing what you love, and I love making ham». The excellent quality of the raw materials could be perfectly sensed in the first course presented during the JoselitoLab lunch: Brook trout with Joselito lard, tomato and prawns. A match of textures and flavours. The crispiness of the prawn, cracking under the teeth and the softness of the pearls of lard bursting in the mouth.

Then Capers, cabbage, jamon Joselito, spicy crab and foie gras. Under the green leaf, a bed of soft foie gras that melts when it touches the tongue. A signature dish at De Librije, which explains how the cooking of the Dutch chef is a continuous discovery, a play of hide and seek with flavours. As for third, fourth and fifth courses, there were Lobster from the North Sea with kombucha tea, Joselito chorizoand beans, then Perch with Joselito pancetta, green apple and fennel and finally Monkfish with Joselito lomo, blueberries and juice of fermented cabbage. Three elegant dishes, with a minimalistic look, but true explosions of flavour in the palate.

The main dish in the lunch at De Librije with Joselito was the slow cooked Cabezada, as it goes, valuable things are to be awaited, with mushrooms and seaweed. The chef’s recipe was remarkable, and so was the wine paired, brought from Spain by Josè Gomez himself. It was a Vega Sicilia Reserva Especial, which together with the cabezada was the coup de grace in a fabulous lunch.

The gourmet experience was completed by Epoisses, potato juice, rabbit kidney and Joselito chorizo. For every dish, a product made with the meat from the Iberian “happy pigs”. Only the dessert had no Joselito. Yet it was surprising nonetheless and important to better understand the chef: Wiedencocktail, blueberries, mint water and curdle. Wieden is the region Jonnie Boer comes from, a land full of canals, a Small Venice.

A “personal dessert” was the right goodbye for a culinary experience that had the aroma of the chef’s art and the glorification of raw material Joselito. A gastronomic marriage that tastes of beauty. Because, when technique, creativity and exceptional products meet, something that will always remain with us is born, in the shape of a memory and a lesson.