Products
Delicious organic foods from Aracena
Ibérico
Sierra Rica's IBÉRICO range brings you the best foods from leading specialists in Spain and Portugal.
The idea for creating the IBÉRICO range came from the outstandingly good ingredients we work with in making our foods at Sierra Rica, and the initial foods in the range are two of those ingredients: organically approved Atlantic Sea Salt and organic Single Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
As we add to the range, we will include organic foods such as olives, piquillo peppers, paella rice and Spanish lentils, all produced by the leading specialists for great taste and respect for the environment.
Salt
From Rui Simeão of Tavira, Portugal
Rui Francisco Neves Dias, or Rui Simeão as most people know him, has harvested dazzling, white Sea Salt from the waters of the Atlantic all his life. His salt pans are ponds with bottoms of baked clay in the Ria Formosa Natural Park on Portugal's Algarve coast and have been in his family for over 100 years. Rui believes that the facts about his salt speak for themselves, so here they are:
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Atlantic Sea SaltHis ingredients are water from the Atlantic Ocean, sunshine and wind. Seawater is channelled by gravity into clay-lined ponds where the sun and wind start their slow work. By evaporation, the salt water becomes so concentrated, that white crystals form on the bed of the pond. The result is a pure, mineral-rich salt that greatly enhances the flavour of most foods. |
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Atlantic Sea SaltFlor de Sal is the king of salts - as the sea water evaporates, the Flor de Sal grows on the surface of the water as delicate, flat crystals. These crystals are then harvested by hand raking, the same method that has been used for centuries.
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Among its principal characterisitics are a relatively lower sodium content and higher richness in magnesium salts. These features affect the flavour of the Flor de Sal by making it a little softer and less “sharp”.
Flor de Sal is perfect for scattering lightly over foods which are to be eaten straightaway, with no need for the salt crystals to dissolve because of their delicate texture and fresh ocean flavour.
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the IBÉRICO range is made by:
Olivar de la Luna
The Moonlit Olive Grove
Jesús Fernández and his wife, Tránsito Habas, produce their extra virgin olive oil from the Nevadillo Blanco olive grown on their finca / estate in the hills of Córdoba province, Andalucia. The story of the estate is rich with tales reflecting the history of Spain itself – like the planting of the olive trees in the 18 th century, frequently by moonlight, by families whose daylight hours were spent earning cash working for others. These moonlight workers could claim ownership, under Royal decree, of the land they tamed by planting olive trees. And in taming the land, they were helping the crown to eliminate the banditry rife in this isolated corner of Spain. Today, the bandits are long gone but the majestic groves of centuries old trees have been restored under the careful organic husbandry of Jesús and Tránsito to produce an excellent, deep-flavoured oil.
What makes a great Olive Oil?
Virgin Olive Oil is extracted from olives by mechanical methods (pressing or milling) which do not modify it's basic properties. This results in a completely natural product that is superior to refined (non Virgin) olive oils. Within the Virgin grade, there are two main recognized quality levels:
| Max Acidity | Best Uses | |
| Extra Virgin | 0.8% |
On salads, or added at the table by pouring a little into soups, paella, risotto and stews. Great for dipping. |
| Virgin | 3% |
Because it typically has a lighter flavour, good for roasting vegetables, light frying and making real mayonnaise. |
Sierra Rica's EV Olive Oil has acidity of 0.2%!
Single Estate
Single Estate means that the olives come from one farm – guaranteeing greater control over the provenance and quality of the olives. It also means scarcity: single estate oils are generally only produced in small volumes.
Tasting Notes on Sierra Rica's EV Olive Oil:
An outstanding, fruity olive oil with the classic notes of cut grass, almond and apple. It makes a very good salad dressing and is great poured over freshly served vegetables, paella, pasta, risotto, soup or stew. It also works well as a luxurious dipping oil.
Organic Soups