Stir a little smoked paprika into plain yoghurt and you can taste the woodsmoke against the cool, mild base. Try it with warm butter beans and the same spice brings a savoury note to a dish you might already make.
Our copy of Tapas & Pincho’s offers smoked paprika as an option in a chickpea and herb salad. A nearby page uses paprika powder in a warm potato dish and leaves the style unspecified. Those two pages are a good reason to look closely at the words on the pack.
Read the label for smoke and heat
In Spanish, ground paprika is pimentón. The word ahumado tells you it’s smoked. A separate word may tell you about the pepper’s flavour or heat.
With Pimentón de la Vera, look for three styles. Dulce is mild and sweet. Agridulce or ocal has a more intense flavour and can be sweet or gently hot. Picante has a pronounced heat. All three have the smoked character associated with the designation. Extremadura’s guide to Pimentón de la Vera DOP
Look for La Vera if the origin matters to you
Pimentón de la Vera is a protected name for paprika made in a defined part of northern Cáceres, in Spain’s Extremadura region. Producers dry the ripe red peppers over holm oak or oak wood before grinding them. The drying gives the powder its smoky aroma and flavour. How Pimentón de la Vera is made
If you want to try paprika from that area, look for the full name and DOP identification on the pack. If you’re shopping for a smoky flavour, look for ahumado or “smoked”. A pack marked “sweet paprika” gives you information about flavour, so check the rest of the label for how it was made.
La Chinata sweet smoked paprika gives you the milder option. Reach for the hot smoked paprika when you want heat as well as smoke. Both are ground paprika powders.
Try it in a bite of the food you’ll serve
Stir a dusting of paprika into a spoonful of a dip you’ve prepared. Taste it with the bread or vegetables you’ll serve alongside. Decide whether you want a gentle smoky note or something stronger before seasoning the whole bowl.
The same check works with a warm dish. Put some cooked butter beans or roasted squash on a small plate, season a bite and try it with whatever else you’re serving. That lets you judge how the smoke or heat sits with the rest of the meal.
Give the spice room to come through
For a cool dish, plain yoghurt or white bean dip gives you a mild base where the paprika comes through clearly. For something warm, try a little in a spoonful of dressing you already use with roasted vegetables, then coat a portion as you serve. You can also stir a little into a spoonful of soup to see how the spice works with a familiar dish.
Consider the other ingredients on the plate. If they already bring smoke or heat, taste them together before adding more.
From the Pantry Bookshelf. Tapas & Pincho’s, pp. 73 and 75, chickpea and herb salad and Spanish potatoes.