Add a Little Spice to Your Life!
Kits Available Starting Friday, October 18.
Do you love to cook? Do you like to try new flavors and recipes?
Or maybe you are in a cooking rut and don’t know how to start expanding your cooking repertoire. Let us help you get spicy in the kitchen. Your kit includes a pre-measured packet of smoked paprika and a few recipes.
What is paprika?
Paprika is a ground spice made from a mixture of dried peppers from the Capsicum annuum family, which includes bell peppers, cayenne peppers and aleppo peppers. The flavor, heat level, and color of this spice can vary greatly from one variety to another because no one specific type of pepper is used to make paprika. Paprika can be divided into two general flavor categories: hot and sweet. Paprika can also be divided based on the origin of the peppers into Spanish, Hungarian or generic paprika. Spanish paprika, known as pimentón and made from Spanish chiles, is available in three different varieties which are dulce (sweet), agridulce (bittersweet) and picante (spicy). Hungarian paprika can be hot or sweet and is made from ground Hungarian chile peppers. There are eight different types of Hungarian paprika with the most commonly exported variety being Noble Sweet (Edesnemes). Generic paprika can be made from various peppers grown in many different countries, though most are domestically grown in California.
What is smoked paprika?
Smoked paprika is made by slow-roasting peppers over an oak fire before grinding them into a powder. The oil present in the pepper absorbs the smoke and gives a rich, deep flavor to the final spice. In contrast, paprika does not have a smoky taste because it is either air-dried, sun-dried, or dried in kilns. In Spain, there are strict rules and protections on how smoked Spanish paprika can be made. These rules focus on traditional drying and smoking techniques. Smoked Spanish paprika that has been produced exclusively in the Extremadura/La Vera region of Spain is known as Pimentón de la Vera.
Easy ways to add smoked paprika to your diet.
Cooking with smoked paprika lends a bittersweet, smoky flavor to your recipes. Integrate smoked paprika into a dry rub for meat or seafood. Add it to an aioli or guacamole for a boost of flavor. Smoked paprika is a great addition to spice mixes rubbed on roasted potatoes or veggies. Use smoked paprika to add a spicy kick to a classic deviled egg recipe or to a bowl full of nuts.
Recipes featuring smoked paprika:
- Huevos Rotos (Broken Eggs)
- Rosemary-Paprika Chicken and Fries
- Smoky and Spicy Roasted Salmon
- Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Need more inspiration?
You can watch a six-part Great Courses class called The Everyday Gourmet: Essential Secrets of Spices in Cooking for free with your library card by using a Hoopla Great Courses BingePass or streaming on Kanopy.
