Chefs to ham it up with pampered Spanish pigs

It's the most expensive ham in the world - about $100 a pound - and also the most prized: Spain's renowned jamon iberico de bellota. Now, for the first time, it's legally available in the United States. And it looks as if we'll soon be able to get a taste without leaving the Valley.

Bellota ham comes from black-hoofed iberico pigs that roam free and feed on acorns ("bellota" in Spanish). The pampered pigs' lush lifestyle - plus three years of air-dried salt curing - creates incomparably luscious meat, complex, intensely rich, sweet and nutty.

In 2005, our bacteria-conscious government agreed to lift the import ban, certifying a Spanish producer who conformed to strict American hygienic standards. (Never mind that bellota ham goes back centuries and has long been exported all over the world.)

Fast-forward three years to 2008: The first certified pig-to-ham cycle has been completed, and his hams are off to market. The wholesale cost: about $1,500 for a typical, 15-pound, bone-in leg.

The culinary clamor for this delicacy means that supply can't begin to keep up with demand. Anticipating the excitement, the savviest chefs sent in their jamon down payments months, even years, ago to make sure they got one of the first shipments.

Where will you find jamon iberico de bellota locally? Aaron May (Sol y Sombra) expects to have his ham by mid-July. He'll be serving it Spanish-style, a thin-sliced, 3-ounce portion paired with figs, for $75.

At the new Noca, chef Chris Curtiss will be serving a 3-ounce portion with melon for $50.

Meanwhile, James Porter (Tapino) and Christopher Gross (Christopher's) are hoping their orders will arrive by August.

Details: Sol y Sombra, 20707 N. Pima Road (Market Street at DC Ranch), Scottsdale, 480-443-5399; Tapino, 7000 E. Shea Blvd. (Scottsdale Promenade), 480-991-6887; Christopher's Restaurant and Crush Lounge, 2502 E. Camelback Road (Biltmore Fashion Park), Phoenix, 602-522-2344; Noca, 3118 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, 602-956-6622.

Ambitious Noca to open

Now is the summer of our discontent, but maybe not for long. That's because one of the most ambitious new restaurants of 2008 is set to launch next week.

Noca - north of Camelback - is the work of owner Eliot Wexler, an international foodie, and chef Chris Curtiss, who did a first-rate job at Circa 1900. The restaurant is moving into the spot that last housed Eleve, on the northwestern corner of Camelback Road and 32nd Street.

Wexler says Noca's "modern American" fare is all about quality and value. The most singular part of the operation is what Noca calls "simple supper," a three-course, $35 dinner. The simple-supper lineup will change nightly, while the a la carte menu will reflect what's in the market.

Details: Noca, 3118 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-956-6622, restaurant noca.com.

This story was found at:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/food/articles/2008/07/09/20080709diningnews0709.html