SMOKED PAPRIKA

In our new series we share three of the best ways to use an ingredient, beginning with this storecupboard spice. Let chef and food writer Milli Taylor inspire you

- Milli Taylor

It’s the unmistakable taste of Spain: smoked paprika is earthy and pungent, with a deep crimson colour. If you haven’t cooked with it, you must. It’s the spice that gives chorizo, paella and romesco sauce their distinctive smoky flavour.

Like parmesan or champagne, smoked paprika has a certified Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). It’s produced in La Vera in Extremadura and only 17 companies make it, yielding 4.5m kilos annually.

Four varieties of red pepper ripened on the vine are hand-picked, then the peppers are laid out in a room with a small oak-wood fire. There, they slowly dry out and take on the flavour of the gentle smoke.

Though traditional methods are still used, the quality control at each stage is rigorous – the peppers are hand-turned each day by the farmers to ensure even drying, smoking for up to two weeks. They’re then meticulously sorted through and ground into a powder in small quantities using stone mills. The minimal temperature produced by stone-grinding helps maintain the paprika’s quality and flavour. Therearethreevarietiestochoose from: dulce (sweet and mild), agridulce (bittersweet) and Picante (hot).

What I most love about smoked paprika is that it can be added to a dish and the food will immediately take on the smoky flavour of cooking on coals or wood, without you going anywhere near a barbecue. For example, in my corn recipe on page 90, if you don’t have a means to grill the corn, you can simply boil the cobs – the smoked paprika butter will impart a charred tasteto the dish. Remember to use it sparingly, though, as a little goes a long way.