Smoked Paprika the Next Big Thing
Paprika as we all know is made from ground up dried peppers. Peppers come in all shapes, names, colours, sizes, sweetness and levels of heat.
Peppers as everyone should know are indigenous to South America and were introduced to Europe and then filtered on to the rest of the world after being brought back to Spain by the Conquistadors, along with tomatoes, cocoa beans and a lot of Au booty.
Paprika as a colour and flavour enhancer is second to none, used extensively throughout the Middle East, Asia and Europe in food preparation, from Hungarian goulash that everyone should know, to the lesser-known fish dish chraime that hails from the Maghreb, Chorizo sausages from the Iberian peninsula, to shak shuka, the breakfast dish which can be eaten at any time of the day, to name but a few.
Paprika is used for aesthetics (colour), flavour and to add heat to the pot. The three common varieties used are sweet paprika, hot paprika and smoked paprika. There are plenty of other variants, but the one I am focusing on in this post is smoked paprika.
Smoked paprika originally a Spanish spice is made from Pimiento peppers, dried and smoked using oak wood which infuses it with that bonfire, outdoors-like ambience and smokiness that you smell in your hair and clothes after a campfire encounter. Smoked paprika’s intense flavour, colour and taste, while unique, remain little known throughout much of the western world.
I use smoked paprika when grilling or roasting chicken. I find it combines well with lemon, thyme and fresh hot Jalapeño peppers. The intensity of colour and tastes obtained by using smoked paprika create a very tasty and attractive finished product.
Just an aside: if one wants to dive into the expansive world of what you can do with a pepper, look out for condiments such as the Moroccan spicy harissa or pilpelchuma from the Libyan Jews. Also of course Tabasco from the Americas and Sriracha from south east Asia.
Smoked Paprika Grilled Chicken Breast
Each good sized chicken breast (one half of the two sided breast) will feed two people.
Ingredients:
- 2-4 cleaned chicken breast
- ¼ cup of Vegetable oil
- 1½ teaspoons of coarsely ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons of coarse kosher or sea salt
- 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional)
Method:
Put oil, salt, pepper and paprika into a bowl, mix well using a fork. Add the chilli flakes if you like a bit of heat (optional). Make sure the chicken breasts are clean of any bones, gristle and excess fat. Add the chicken breasts and ensure they are well coated with the marinade mixture. Cover with Glad wrap and return to the fridge for at least an hour.
Heat up the grill or a ribbed cast iron skillet on the stove top (only if you have good ventilation). When very hot, either spray a little vegetable oil on the grill or use the old fork and half onion dipped in oil trick to ensure the chicken doesn’t stick. Do the smooth side of the breast first; sear for a minute or two to get colour, BBQ flavour and to seal the chicken, then do the other side for a minute or two, remove to an oven paper lined dish/tray and return to fridge until needed. The beauty of this method is that you can do this the day before or the morning of and you don’t have to slave over the BBQ while your guests are there.
Preheat oven to 200 C. Once hot, place tray with chicken breasts smooth side up inside for 18-20 minutes. Do the press test when time is up, by gently pushing on the meat; when the meat is firm to touch it should be ready. Remember to let sit for 7-8 minutes before carving or serving to ensure the retention of the moisture/liquids within the cooked meat.
The chicken breast can be eaten hot or eaten as a cold cut the next day as sliced smoked chicken breast.
You can’t make this stuff up. This one is almost no effort and a real delicacy.
Next week, sticking with peppers, some more winter fare: carrot soup with spicy Moroccan Harissa and dry toasted pine nuts.
Salamat.
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