Pots of Spain

Wholesale Spanish Cazuelas

2012-02-10T16:18:00.000+01:00

We love Spanish cazuelas, we have to! Besides from having a nest of these terracotta dishes in our own kitchen which are used almost on a daily basis for cooking and having a couple on the patio which have seen better days now housing Spanish cactus the Spanish cazuela delivery makes a regular appearance being delivered to our office in Orce village.

The image to the left is the beginnings of no less than 2-3 days wrapping and packing to make sure the terracotta arrives at its destination in one piece. Each cazuela is wrapped individually, made safe for the journey and has enough Spanish newspaper to secure a Chinese Ming vase! Why do we do this? Well with ceramics of any description you can never be too careful, we have to consider the rushed forklift truck driver unloading pallets at the other end, rough voyages and also basic transportation at the Spanish end as well as at destination.

Its worth saying at this point that packaging comes free as we have an army of local village newspaper readers who are more than happy to drop off their weekly collection of 'El Pais' at the door, not only is this newspaper recycled once but used again all over the world as our customers and distributors rightly take advantage of the packing in their own distribution of the product.

We have been asked in the past why we open and re-pack our cazuelas and the answer is simple... Spanish deliveries are designed for Spain, not national shipping so to ensure the lowest percentage of breakages possible we feel that spending the time prior to dispatch is well worth it in the long run.

Artesano recently brought in around 2000 pieces from their terracotta and ceramics range. This was packed into 40 large boxes and palletised before making its long trip from Orce in Spain all the way to Sydney Australia, which is a very long trip for boxes of ceramics to take! Iain and Gayle individually wrapped each and every piece of ceramic or terracotta ware. In addition for the more fragile items they wrapped them in individual cardboard casing. This is an amazing amount of work, we know, as we had to unpack it all! ~ Artesano, Australia.

One of the main issues in shipping fragile ceramics internationally and indeed nationally is breakages. If you would like to speak to us about any aspect of potential shipments outside Spain then we are more than happy to discuss your concerns and requirements, simply pop into our main website and follow the links.

Tapas Cazuelas

2012-01-27T16:56:00.001+01:00

Tapas - a Spanish tradition dating back decades and still only 'really' free in the Granada province. Spanish tapas have, without doubt gained significant popularity within Europe and also worldwide as far away as Australia and Japan and of course across the pond in the US.

Having lived in Spain since 2004 we are lucky enough to still enjoy free tapas in our local village, somehow, no matter how hard we try to get our heads around it charging for tapas just seems to defeat the whole object of the tradition, however it would be fair to say that a gastronomic historical tradition such as tapas was always fairly ripe for exploitation and even the beginnings of a few restaurant chains elsewhere in Europe.

No matter what your view is on Spanish tapas, how they are cooked, served, charged for or otherwise there does remain the issue of serving... The Spanish cazuela remains as popular as ever so we have introduced a couple of new lines to the terracotta range. Named 'Tapas Cazuelas' these clay dishes are exactly that - a dish, with no handles, straight sides and a half glazed rustic finish these 12cm cazuelas are just the job for serving a whole host of tapas, salsas and anything else you can make, they also look great on the table and can be introduced to heat and cooked in just like the standard terracotta 'cazuela'

Spanish Tapas Recipes

2012-01-21T18:20:00.000+01:00

If you are interested in Spanish tapas and Spanish cooking then why not take a peek at the new downloadable book 'Mouth-Watering Spanish Recipes'?

This book, written by our very own Gayle and acclaimed author Victoria Twead is packed full of Spanish recipes. You will find everything from the usual suspects such as paella, gambas al pil pil and serrano ham croquettes to some of the more unusual and innovative tapas recipe ideas like spicy broad bean and serrano ham fritters and baked allioli mussels...

Mouth-Watering Spanish Recipes has over 100 genuine Spanish recipe ideas, all cooked in typical Andalucian rustic style which means that many of the dishes in this book are best cooked or served in terracotta such as the earthenware 'cazuela' - there is even a handy section on how best to care for and season your terracotta cookware from Spain.

We hope you enjoy the new book and look forward to your comments either through our website or via Amazon where the book is also available.

Terracotta Frying Pans

2012-01-02T17:44:00.000+01:00

Terracotta frying pans, otherwise known as 'Sartenes' are a wonderful piece of cooking equipment. Made in the same way as the famous Spanish cazuela the sarten is distinguished by its handle - cleverly designed with a hollow cavity running through its length so it doesn't become too hot.

The sarten is in fact exactly the same as the cazuela, the same finish, same thickness, same insulating properties etc etc so is ideal for cooking with. The only real difference is that the sarten is not made quite as large, the largest is around 18cm in diameter which plus the handle and full of gambas as pil pil makes it heavy enough given the weight of the terracotta. Cazuelas are great for serving tapas - sartenes are even better, easier to handle, very unusual but still with that rustic terracotta warmth and appearance making them great for laying over the tapas table. The sarten is at home serving hot dishes such as the afore mentioned 'gambas al pil' (chili garlic prawns' or simple a selection of your cold meats, olives or sliced ham, even salsa's.

As always terracotta needs a good soak in water before its first use and the sarten is no different. Soak in water for 2 - 3 hours or overnight and your terracotta will become 'seasoned' ready for heat, put it on the gas hob without a soaking and may just be too fresh and brittle to cope. Seasoning only needs to be done once because once it has been cooked in then the seasoning toughens the terracotta even more ready for the next use.

Tapas in Terracotta: (King prawns in garlic butter)

You will need

6 - 8 King prawns per 12cm cazuela or sarten
3 - 4 Garlic cloves, chopped
80g Butter
Parsley, chopped

Method

Start by shelling the prawns but leave the tails on.

Run your thumb down the length of the back and remove the black gritty string.

Rinse the prawns then, using a small sharp knife slice the prawns down their backs but not all the way through. Open the prawns and arrange in their terracotta dish.

In a bowl mix the butter together with the chopped garlic and parsley then add a good spoonful to each cazuela or sarten covering the prawns.

Cook over the gas hob or in a hot oven for 5 – 6 minutes until the prawns are done.

Serve sizzling hot with fresh crusty bread.

Spanish Terracotta Plates

2011-12-23T20:19:00.001+01:00

Introducing Spanish terracotta plates... The traditional terracotta plate remains as popular as ever and having used a set of own for the past five years we can certainly vouch for the durability of these pieces!

Terracotta plates are pretty tough and it has to be said quite heavy, feeling the weight in your hands brings a confidence of well fired earth with a rustic glaze to match and something that looks very well with a typically Andalucian stew or casserole dished over it - forget flimsy plates, terracotta is the heavyweight of all serving solutions and looks the part on any Spanish table.

Terracotta plates come in a range of sizes but far the most popular are the 18cm side plate and the 24cm dinner plate, sizes progress to 30cm which are available for special order - fantastic terracotta although even the most experienced waiter may struggle plated up with two on one arm!

New for 2012 will be an increasing range of terracotta cooking and serving ideas as well as a brand new range of 'miel' terracotta with a unique honey coloured glaze. In the meantime we would like to wish all of our customers a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2012 and we look forward to serving you soon!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Spanish Ceramics - Bailen Range

2011-11-24T18:07:00.001+01:00

It must be said that we have been looking forward to getting this range of hand painted ceramics on the site for a while now. After seeing them in production during a visit to the manufacturer in Jaen it was obvious that this range was something special, smart and detailed with colours that just ooze Spain...

It took a month or two but finally we are pleased to announce the launch of this new range with 16 lines including a few combinations and ceramic gift ideas.

It is not really until you actually hold these pieces in your hands that you appreciate the weight and quality of the workmanship. Larger bowls such as salad bowls and fruit bowls are lovely weighty pieces and of course the bigger the ceramic the more detailed the painting becomes.

A secret blend of paints produce the striking colours of this Bailen range. Using deep reds and mottled greens these two main colours are also decorated with mustard yellows and plain white before being glazed for a second time which enhances the colours even more.

The Bailen range is also known as the 'Baecula' range. Both names apply to the same thing which is the town of Bailen in the Jaen region of southern Spain. Bailen as it is now known used to be called Baecula up until the 19th century where a battle took place and the town was re-named.

You can discover the new Bailen range here and discover a selection of unique hand painted bowls, oil pourers, dishes and also some herbs and spices storage solutions to add some real Spanish flair in the kitchen. Worldwide shipping.

Spanish Tapas Bowls

2011-11-11T18:50:00.001+01:00

Spanish tapas ~ probably Spain's most famous cultural export and something of a growing phenomenon both within Europe and worldwide. Of course tapas in the Granada region of southern Spain are one of the few places where your 'tapas' remain free with a beer or glass of wine. Entering a Spanish tapas bar is like entering no other, not quite knowing what is coming up with your drink, it could be as simple as a bowl of salted almonds or serrano ham with bread or it could be something much more complex and hot such as gambas al pil pil (chili garlic prawns), clams in tomato salsa or pork stew... delicious!

Tapas are of course small bites of food, perhaps a couple of Spanish meatballs served with some fresh crusty bread or some sliced chorizo but no matter what the tapa is needs a serving dish, bowl or platter. Ceramics made in Granada are typical of what you may expect to see tapas served in whether it be in the tapas bar, restaurant or round at the Spanish neighbours. The typical Granada design is blue, white and green normally depicting the pomegranite fruit from which the city "Granada" gets its name.

Granada tapas bowls are very Spanish, usually simply painted (always by hand) like in the photos above but there are more complex hand painted designs which we will cover later on. For simple tapas and a typically Andalucian display then these ceramics deliver both the colours of Andalucia as well as functionality and a little piece of 'real Spain'

Discover the range >>>

Hand Painted Spanish Ceramics

2011-11-04T17:19:00.003+01:00

'Olivo' range

Welcome to 'Pots of Spain'!! a blog designed to be your one stop shop for all things ceramic from Spain. Here you can be kept up to date on new ranges of Spanish ceramics, terracotta, garden ceramics and much more all of which are available through our main website Orce Serrano Hams.

Online since 2005 Orce Serrano Hams has grown from a gourmet online delicatessen sourcing some the finest artisan produce from Andalucia to expanding into hand painted Spanish ceramics and terracotta. Ceramics are available to customers and trade clients worldwide and are real touch of Spain as well a great quality products.

Each piece is hand painted so no two are the same ensuring something quite unique indeed, over the next few months and beyond we will be sharing some insider secrets into how these pieces are made as well as some rare photography from inside the factories and production areas right here in Spain. As well as that you will be able to read up on the top tips to care of your Spanish terracotta cookware, be the first to discover new ranges, patterns and designs and a whole lot more!

We welcome all enquiries, comments and suggestions so do not hesitate to get in touch

Gayle & Iain