Epicurean Concept of the Week – Pimentón (Spanish Paprika)

The Epicurean Concept of the Week is back from holiday vacation This week I was reading a Mark Bittman recipe for tri-tip steak. It called for an ingredient in the sauce I’d never heard of – pimentón. I wondered at first if it was an interesting spelling of pimento or something else entirely. It’s actually the world for Spanish paprika, an essential ingredient to many classic Spanish dishes.

In Spanish cooking pimentón is used to flavor almost everything…. it’s like Oyster Sauce to Thai cooks… you can find it flavoring chorizo, dashed on fried eggs, and even sprinkled on top of grilled seafood. It’s so important to Spanish cooking that they’ve established Denominations of Origin (D.O.) for the various versions… like fine wine in France.

There are several types of Spanish Paprika (from about.com).

• Pimentón Dulce or Sweet Paprika – Round red peppers make this mild, light orange paprika.
• Pimentón Agridulce or Medium Hot Paprika – Longer, dark red pepper make a medium hot paprika.
• Pimentón Picante or Hot Paprika – Made from any of several different types of long red peppers.

Any brands of Pimentón that you prefer? Any ingredients to share? Cant wait to get some and try out the Mark Bittman recipe for Tri-Tip

Paul

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