More of the best that Spain has to offer

This month, importer Marc Gomez-Segu celebrated his 10 years in Canada. 

Having left a banking career in Spain he and his Canadian wife embarked on a journey together and in 2017 he opened his gourmet food import business El Rebost (The Pantry).

I love stumbling upon hidden gems and in this case it’s an online mail-order business located in an industrial area in Prescott about an hour outside of Ottawa. 

Recently I’ve introduced two excellent purveyors of Mediterranean foods for the holidays. Some folks prefer to live a minimalist lifestyle and others, as they age, just want less stuff. Giving unique foods for the holidays is an ideal way of not cluttering peoples homes, while showing that you’ll go out of your way to find the best.

El Rebost was a revelation to me. Little did I know that one of Canada's finest importers of Spanish goods was not far from town and that they offered foods of super premium quality. 

You may notice that the prices are a little higher at first but as Marc has told me “I am always seeking quality over quantity” and he speaks nothing but the truth. 

An example is the Turron Jijona Delicatessen ($23) a Marcona almond and orange blossom honey confection that can best be described as an almond interpretation of halva. I’ve had many versions of this but none as fine as the Pablo Garrigos Ibanez. As it oozes so much of its natural oils, it comes in an attractive foil wrapper which is then vacuum sealed. Even the honey is of such quality that you can identify it as orange blossom.

Or take the Marcona almonds in olive oil and rosemary: El Nogal is a company that has long-term contracts with Spains finest growers of almonds and here I invite you to sample these alongside other similar products in the market. I’ll just say that at $10 this tin of delights is still good value. 

The San Nicasio potato chips with truffle ($9) are also more finely cut and seasoned than any other Spanish chips on the market. First, they use actual winter truffles and not synthetic aromatics. Secondly, the potato flavour is what you’ll notice — and isn’t that the point? If you don’t care for truffle flavour get the plain version done in olive oil.

Many years ago I’d shop at a Spanish store back home in Germany. It was a modest affair with a great many wines, cheeses and meats. Among those meats was Jamon Iberico, long considered the world's finest expression of salt cured ham. Back then I was able to buy an artisanal version for 80 Deutsch Marks a kilo. Then the Euro came along and the price doubled. Now we’re living in an entirely different reality.

Then again Marc has done us all a favour in bringing in Joselito ham. This product has a premium price ($70 per 100 g) but for those interested in trying this from what is considered to be Spains finest producer of Iberico, then you’re well-served. 

You can buy a commercial version of this ham around Ottawa for $50 per 100 g, but a side-by-side comparison will leave you convinced. The Joselito is the real deal and is made only with sea salt. The ham is sweeter somehow with a deeper colour and a nutty component courtesy of the acorns on which these pigs have been raised.

Take a pinch of the Flor del Delta salt and place it on your tongue. Notice anything? There’s no salt burn. Instead a fine minerality with an abundant umami effect. Mouth watering and a perfect finishing salt. 

Another fine finishing touch for your dishes is the Caviaroli ($11-$12), little pearls of olive oil that come as either plain or with basil or truffle flavours. Playful with eye appeal and a pop of flavour in your salad.

As an appetizer for your guests, the giant Gordal olives ($12) are nothing less than a conversation starter. These olives are amongst the largest grown and here they’re stuffed with manchego cheese and anchovies for a full on flavour assault. Just the thing to get the appetite revved for dinner.

The scallops ($19) in oil were sweetly delicate and made an elegant component for a dinner of tapas. I enjoyed them with gluten free crackers (Crunchmaster) and that was a happy marriage. I happened to have the crackers on hand and it just worked. My luck.

One of the great delicacies of the Spanish kitchen is the white anchovies called boquerones ($17). These are prepared in a variety of ways but are also traditionally served as tapas alongside a zippy dry white wine such as Verdejo or even a chilled Fino Sherry. I have a link with recipes under Quick Bites below.

El Rebost has everything you need to spoil your gastronome friends and family and it’s also so very easy to build your own tapas dinner from this outstanding selection of products.

To welcome Capital Eats readers to the El Rebost selection, Marc has generously offered 10 percent off when ordering online until Dec. 31. Simply enter the discount code: capitaleats10 at checkout. If you want to keep things simple he offers a gift basket selection here.

One final note: In mid January he expects to have his restaurant Little Barcelona, where you can try many of these products, up and running. Stay tuned on that reporting.

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