With light-jacket weather upon us, I’ve begun to (prematurely) prep my taste buds for grilling and smoking season by taking cues from the Spaniards. Smoked paprika is perfect for spiking pastas and veggies with a sweet-hot savoriness. The oak-smoked spice is particularly revolutionary for herbivores looking to impart vegetarian dishes with a subtle kick.
As a starter, lentils pair perfectly with the spice as a creamy base for Red-Lentil and Red-Pepper Pâté. To serve up smoked paprika on the side, add a dash to Swiss Chard with Raisins and Almonds, or paint the dish red by pairing paprika with saffron in an Easy Seafood Paella that simplifies the clams, shrimp, and hot chorizo-packed traditional Spanish meal.
How do you like to use smoked paprika?
as a rub with sea salt when making beef carpaccio. The smoky flavor gives a “cooked” element to the raw meat
I love using smoked paprika to cook any kind of greens. It adds that bacon-y flavor without meat.
Smoked paprika is my absolute favorite! I have to stop myself from using it in everything I make.
I like it with greens, too. I sautee collards, and then roast tiny crispy potatoes with lots of paprika to toss over the top.
I made my own spice mix, and Spanish Paprika is the main ingredient. My nine-year-old son made a spice mix, and his starts with paprika, too!
I’ve been thinking that I like it because I’m vegetarian, and it tastes bacon-y, so I made a strips of very paprika-y pastry dough, grated in streaks of smoked gouda, and fried it in olive oil. Vegetarian bacon! Delicious.
I can’t really list every time I make it, so if you look here, you’ll see about a million recipes that use it!
Mixed with salt to rim the edge of a bloody mary. Yum!