# Smoked Paprika



## froggythefrog (Feb 16, 2010)

Last night, my girlfriend made these awesome grilled portabello mushrooms in the panini press and one of the seasonings in the portabello mushrooms was smoked paprika.  I must say that if she hadn't already won my heart over, the portabellos would have done it for me.  

I asked her about what she used in the portabellos, since I host a lot of vegetarian BBQs over the summer.  Well, she took me by the store today and I picked up _hot _smoked paprika and _sweet _smoked paprika.  She told me she never knew how her kitchen was complete without it.  The brand was "El Rey de la Vera" imported from Spain.  Is this a good one? Does anyone here use smoked paprika?  What do you use it for?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 16, 2010)

I use it as a substitute for anything that calls for plain old paprika.  It's fantastic as an ingredient in meat rubs or in soups, gravies.


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## GrillingFool (Feb 16, 2010)

Same here. Good stuff indeed. A must have component of most of my rubs for meat. Great in chili! Nice for a flavored steak butter too!


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## bigdaddy3k (Feb 16, 2010)

Goes well up agains curry powder in most things too!


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## LadyCook61 (Feb 16, 2010)

I have sweet smoked paprika, use it burgers, meatloaf, steaks, even sprinkled some on fries.


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## justplainbill (Feb 16, 2010)

Since the Spanish Pimenton is fairly expensive, I only use it in certain Spanish dishes.  For Hungarian dishes, I use Hungarian paprika.  The Spanish Pimenton is too expensive to use alone as a thickening agent.


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## Andy M. (Feb 16, 2010)

justplainbill said:


> Since the Spanish Pimenton is fairly expensive, I only use it in certain Spanish dishes.  For Hungarian dishes, I use Hungarian paprika.  The Spanish Pimenton is too expensive to use alone as a thickening agent.



I don't think anyone was suggesting using it as a thickening agent.  

I buy smoked Spanish paprika from Penzey's and it's a great flavor addition to many dishes.


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## wanna be (Feb 16, 2010)

*Good stuff!*

I recently bought a bottle, because I have wanted to try it for awhile.It tastes terrible right out of the bottle.And no this is not my recipe idea.I just like to know how a new spice tastes on its own.So far the only thing I have tried it on is avacados,with some ancho powder,lime juice a little vinegar,gran garlic,salt and pepper.BBQ season is allmost here and I know that I will have a million uses then.I will have to look into a premium brand before that, because like I said it is some good stuff!


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## bigdaddy3k (Feb 16, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> I buy smoked Spanish paprika from Penzey's and it's a great flavor addition to many dishes.


 
Penzey's is my stop too.


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## jet (Feb 16, 2010)

bigdaddy3k said:


> Penzey's is my stop too.



That's where I get mine.  I use it mostly for rubs.


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## Claire (Feb 16, 2010)

I've used smoked paprika, and like it for some things, but wouldn't use it if I was grilling anyway.  I use it in the winter when I don't grill to give that little something extra.  I've used three brands and found them all satisfactory (all imported, although maybe re-packaged by a company that buys in bulk).  To me .... use it for anything you want to have a smoky flavor when you cannot cook out over coals.  

No, I wouldn't use it for thickening, because the smoky flavor would become overwhelming.  But sweet paprika (not sweet-smoky, just regular sweet) can have a mildly thickening effect because you can use a lot of it.


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## gage (Feb 21, 2010)

I have quite a few dried red peppers from my garden still hanging in my pantry. I want to grind them into paprika, I have a coffee grinder ( KA ) a ktex  mill for grain and an electric stone grinder for grain , do you think the grain grinders would clog ? I just think the KA grinder would take forever.  Food processor ??  Gage


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## danpeikes (Feb 21, 2010)

I use it to give a BBQ flavor in indoor cooking.  also since my wife does not like spicy food I sneak some smoked Paprika in to get a little heat.


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## danpeikes (Feb 21, 2010)

I get mine from www.thespicehouse.com  but they have local locations so I do not need to pay shipping


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## DaveSoMD (Feb 21, 2010)

I think it is an aquired taste. I tried it in my chili one time in place of regular paprika  and I didn't like it.  I should try it in my BBQ rubs, that mike make it more palettable to me.


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## Andy M. (Feb 21, 2010)

danpeikes said:


> I get mine from www.thespicehouse.com  but they have local locations so I do not need to pay shipping



There are Penzey's store locations in Oak Park and Naperville.  Not sure how far they are from Chicago.  Also a half dozen locations in Wisconsin.  One may be close to you.

Penzeys Spices Retail Stores


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## danpeikes (Feb 21, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> There are Penzey's store locations in Oak Park and Naperville. Not sure how far they are from Chicago. Also a half dozen locations in Wisconsin. One may be close to you.
> 
> Penzeys Spices Retail Stores


 Oak park and naperville are drivable but a decent drive.  The Evanston store of the spice house is les than 15 min and I love their stuff.  Thanks any way Andy


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## bigdaddy3k (Feb 21, 2010)

Been to spice house, it's comparable. Penzeys does do a mail order business!


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## jet (Feb 21, 2010)

bigdaddy3k said:


> Been to spice house, it's comparable. Penzeys does do a mail order business!



Mail order works great, as long as you know what you want.  Whenever I'm near a store, I always stop in to smell the spices.


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## froggythefrog (Feb 21, 2010)

gage said:


> I have quite a few dried red peppers from my garden still hanging in my pantry. I want to grind them into paprika, I have a coffee grinder ( KA ) a ktex  mill for grain and an electric stone grinder for grain , do you think the grain grinders would clog ? I just think the KA grinder would take forever.  Food processor ??  Gage



Hi Gage:

I feel silly telling you this ('cept I am a moderator on another forum), you might get more responses to your question if you post it in a new thread.  I am kind of wondering what kind of grinder would work best for dried peppers too.  Somehow, unless somebody with experience recommends you using your grain griders, I would not risk clogging them.  My first impulse is to tell you to use your food processor, but I just can't see a precision grind resulting from that.  I assume you want a fine powder and not flakes.  This would definitely make an interesting thread of its own.


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## DaveSoMD (Feb 21, 2010)

gage said:


> I have quite a few dried red peppers from my garden still hanging in my pantry. I want to grind them into paprika, I have a coffee grinder ( KA ) a ktex mill for grain and an electric stone grinder for grain , do you think the grain grinders would clog ? I just think the KA grinder would take forever. Food processor ?? Gage


 
Yes you can. This will give you an idea of what you can do. This is for chile powder, but should be the same idea for what you are looking for. 

AB's Chili Powder Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network


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## froggythefrog (Feb 21, 2010)

Alright, so I just made a very rich risotto with freshly minced garlic, sundried tomatoes, and hot smoked paprika.  I must say the smoked paprika is shining through nicely.  I don't yet have a recipe for what I just did, but: 

Process very dry sundried tomatoes in the food processor until about half of them are a powder and there are some chunks left. 
Mince 6-8 medium cloves of garlic.
Start 3 cups of faux beef broth or vegetable broth boiling in a pot.  Once boiling, turn to low. 
In a sauce pot, pour about 1 tablespoon of EVOO, heat and then sautee garlic until garlic just barely starts to get bitter.  Quickly pour in one cup of arborio rice and mix garlic in quickly to protect from heat. 
Pour in one cup of red wine, add sun-dried tomatoes, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, and reduce while stirring. 
Once reduced, add in 1/2-2/3 cup of faux beef broth and reduce while stirring. Stir, stir, stir.  
Try rice (which will be done when it's only slightly al dente).  If not done, repeat previous step.  I usually do this 4-5 times when cooking  
 If you try rice and its good, you are ready to serve it up.  This recipe will result in a strong, rich, somewhat intense risotto.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 24, 2010)

froggythefrog said:


> Alright, so I just made a very rich risotto with freshly minced garlic, sundried tomatoes, and hot smoked paprika. I must say the smoked paprika is shining through nicely. I don't yet have a recipe for what I just did, but...


 
Sounds devine!  Copied and saved.


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## froggythefrog (Feb 24, 2010)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Sounds devine!  Copied and saved.


Cool!   I guess the only thing making it not quite a recipe yet, is I did not specify the amount on the sundried tomatoes.  Putting them through the food processor, they come out pretty strong.  I would guess half a cup before hitting the food processor would be plenty.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 24, 2010)

froggythefrog said:


> Cool! I guess the only thing making it not quite a recipe yet, is I did not specify the amount on the sundried tomatoes. Putting them through the food processor, they come out pretty strong. I would guess half a cup before hitting the food processor would be plenty.


 
I hadn't noticed no measurements  but, I'm pretty good with figuring that sort of thing out on my own.  Comes from playing with my food all the time!


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## Ekim (Mar 27, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> I buy smoked Spanish paprika from Penzey's and it's a great flavor addition to many dishes.



Me too. It's one of my favorite Foodie Finds of the last year. I use it almost too much. 

I also love the smell of their smoked hot peppers, some smell almost chocolate-y


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