Smoked Paprika Reserve

Description

Our Smoked Paprika Reserve starts with whole pimentón pods sourced from a cooperative of growers in La Vera, Spain. We bring them in by the case, oak-smoke them a second time in our Lockhart pit, and grind them to a fine consistency in small 5-pound batches on a stone mill — the same way the village millers in Cáceres have done it for two hundred years.

The result is a paprika with three distinct layers of flavor: bright fruit at the front, deep oak-smoke in the middle, and a long, slightly sweet finish that lingers. Most commercial paprikas are one-note. This one rewards a slow taste.

It earns its place in roughly half the recipes in our kitchen — paprikash, romesco, deviled eggs, a hearty Hungarian goulash, even a dusting over a fried egg on toast. It belongs on every roast chicken before it goes in the oven, every batch of pimento cheese before it goes in the fridge, and every grilled shrimp the moment it comes off the heat.

We package it in a cork-topped 4oz glass spice jar with a paper label that lists nothing but the harvest year and the batch number. There are no anti-caking agents, no preservatives, no fillers. It is paprika and only paprika.

Tasting notes

• Front: bright red bell pepper, faint cherry, sweet pimento
• Middle: aged oak, slow-pit smoke, a touch of warm leather
• Finish: long, slightly sweet, a gentle warmth (not heat)

How to use

Bloom it in oil or rendered fat before adding the rest of your ingredients — paprika is fat-soluble and waking it up first releases two or three times the flavor. A teaspoon stirred into mayonnaise and lemon juice makes a paprika aioli that elevates anything fried.

Shelf life: 18 months from harvest, sealed; 6 months once opened. Store away from heat and direct light.