La Espanola Meats UPDATE - Torrance

This used to be my favorite weekday lunch. I would drive over on my days off when the rest of the world was at work and order a warm sandwich with slices of jamon. I'd shop around, fill a basket, check out when my sandwich was made, and go home to eat or munch on the way to the next place. Errands never tasted so good, as long I remembered to brush off the crumbs.

No more cured meats due to pregnancy, then no more anything due to covid. But despair not, they have delivery. A flat fee for each price range; the more you spend, the higher the fee. 

Dona Juana will do, but I went down the importado rabbit hole and now I am hooked. The Spanish jamon will cost you double, but the Redondo Iglesias is worth the cost. The texture is less moist, and the salinity reaches deep into the meat to draw out the natural flavors of the pork. 

Iberico Chorizo by Palacios. Every box I order has at least four. Beautifully dried, concentrated fat without the grease. Dona Juana's Chorizo Soria and Chorizo Pamplona are more moist if you prefer. 

The cheese. So much cheese. Manchego at every age, the older the nuttier, similar to most humans and pets. I always get a P'tit Basque as well. The sheep's milk has a silky-smooth finish, and this cheese ends with a pleasant, lingering pungence. 

Garnish with Marcona Almonds and Quince Paste. Their most basic paste is only $4.99, with the texture of a fruit jelly dessert and flavor like a fig married to a very sweet lemon. 

Cans of Serpis olives can be stuffed with all sorts of stuff, but I still like the blue cheese best.

When I feel safe, I'll be picking up some preorder-only paella on a Saturday, but until then it's delivery or Doordash for me. Doordash is sandwiches only so I prefer the delivery even with the fee. Plus they always throw in a few free gifts if you order on an empty stomach, with fun freebies like rose (wine) potato chips and just-add-milk packets of flan, as if their food weren't gift enough. 

La Espanola Meats - Torrance

The first thing I did when I left the brrrs of Boston for SoCal sunshine was toss my ugg boots and donate all my long underwear. I didn't have much trouble saying hello to sunscreen and beach, but I was sad to leave the food behind. South Bay had no shortage of ramen, sushi, and surprisingly delicious things on sticks, but I definitely shed some tears at the loss of Las Ventas' bocadillas.

It turns out there is a place that makes a satisfactory Spanish sandwich after all. A tiny specialty store buried between the warehouses of industrial Torrance, there's Jamon Serrano Importado to be had. The jamon serrano from overseas sits between a crusty baguette, drizzled with olive oil and left plain to show off the high-end ham.

The bread is a bit overbearing for that amount of ham, and the House Bocata strikes a better balance. They make a heavenly jamon serrano, accented by a sweeter sausage-of-the-day and a thin slice of manchego cheese.

The bocadillas added a little comfort but they weren't enough to replace what I had lost. I did enjoy stocking up on charcuterie and cheese, but I wasn't too inclined to go back for the food...

Until I had the Paella. I didn't even like paella until I tried the no-day-but-Saturday, no-time-but-noon, reservation-only, styrofoam-container, mariscos-and-sausage paella at La Espanola Meats. Plump, broth-soaked, seafood-infused grains of Spanish rice mixed with a healthy helping of shellfish, chicken, and sausage, it's hard not to lick the container when you're done.

I still miss Boston from time to time. Four good years are behind me, and though I rarely look back, I do remember the things I've lost. The bocadillas are one thing I may have to bury, but at least I'll have some paella to dull the pain.