About Me

Sunday, February 1

Sunday Spice Tip - Smoked Paprika

 Spices. The variety is extraordinary, the combinations are endless. 

They transform the essence of a dish and give our food dimension. But how does one learn to use them? Here at Dezired Cuisine I've come up with a solution.. welcome to the first Sunday Spice Tip!

Originally, I planned to simply chat about a different spice each Sunday, giving you juicy details and hopefully encouraging you to try it out and start getting more comfortable with spices. However, I happened to use today's spice in an amazing dish earlier last week with outstanding results and knew I had to share it with you too. 2 in 1? Ca-chingggg!

Salt and pepper are the most classic examples of seasonings we typically think of first, and both are essentials in the kitchen. Let's build on that and see what else else is out there. We have access to much of the world's popular spices, all the way from the cuisines of India to Asia, Caribbean and Mediterranean. This isn't a new idea though. Access to spices from around the world has been going on since 3000 B.C when the great Spice Trade initially began (like me, you've probably heard something about this in a history class a long time ago. A quick Google search on this can make for a good read). So now, thanks to globalization, you walk into your favourite grocery store and can easily become overwhelmed with the variety of spices, most of which you've never even heard of. I'm here to shed some light on that crazy looking spice shelf and hopefully make you want to search out some of the real game-changers.

Smoked Paprika. Intense. Aromatic. Smoky. Luxurious.
The game definitely changed when I opened a McCormick brand Smoked Paprika for the first time. I was hit with an incredibly intense, delectable aroma that reminded me distinctly of a typical barbecue chip smell, but much more rich and intriguing. Most people have probably heard of it's cousin, regular Paprika, but flavour-wise the two spices are in completely different families.
I find regular Paprika to be much more mild with a subtle sweetness that usually (for me) gets lost when adding other spices to a given dish. I highly recommend trying it though as many people do enjoy the delicate flavour it adds. Smoked Paprika however is bold, charismatic, and stands out as a key flavour when added to food.

I won't beat around the spice bush here. Because McCormick gourmet spices are very high quality they are more expensive than most other brands. So when I was looking for a more reasonable alternative I eventually ended up at Bulk Barn (highly recommend as they make a huge variety of spices accessible to the average human being). After buying a baseball sized bag of the Smoked Paprika and using some of it I found it was less rich than the McCormick's. For the regular user it will work just fine and for the price I really can't complain but with a little research there are other sources and brands out there (try La Chinata Smoked Paprika), and trust me, it is definitely worth the search. However I do strongly recommend you treat yourself to a quality brand first for the best impression and impact. My first bottle lasted less than 2 weeks, it was just that amazing!

Excellent when used with... any type of vegetable or meat. 
Currys, stews, soups, pastas, sauces, and anything grilled or roasted will be enhanced with depth and sumptuous smoky savoury notes. Very versatile and easy to use with real impact. Add this spice to your collection and see how you can take almost any dish to the next level!

Let's try it out! 
This week I'm featuring Smoked Paprika as the key flavour in my Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Soup

No comments:

Post a Comment