Paprika

[Richard Kilgore]

Linda -- give CM a call. They just recently got some in from the same area of Spain, which I think it is in Basque country. Pimenton de la Vera are the words on the tin to look for.

[ronnie_suburban]

Fifi - I made your crockpot paprika chicken last night for dinner.  Needless to say, it was fantastic!!  It's even better the next day on toast as a sandwich! 

Thanks for the great idea!

Oooo... The sandwich idea is growing on me. I am thinking putting some shredded chicken and drained onions on a hollowed out French or Italian loaf, brushed with olive oil. Then do a pressed sandwich and slice it for serving. Maybe add some cheese? What kind? Provolone?

I love making sandwiches out of this too. Sometimes I even make a mayo/dressing using the onions to go with it.

=R=

[Richard Kilgore]

Here is the sweet version of the Pimenton de la Vera at Chefshop.com.

[ronnie_suburban]

Here is a link to another product--a 3-pack of Pimenton de la Vera being offered at Amazon.com.

Smoked Spanish Paprika, 3 Pack

Looks interesting, as does the product linked by Richard. I feel some shopping coming on

=R=

[Richard Kilgore]

The one on Amazon looks particularly interesting, since it has three different types of Pimenton de la Vera. Good catch, Ronnie.

[Ocean_islands]

Well this thread has brought me out of lurk mode, and I hope I don't make you all scream.

But as an Hungarian/Czech/Slovak American I hope you will give me a break. Goulash is never far from my heart and here in NYC's (a new location for me) Yorkville, Hungary is never far. I bought a tube of goulash/paprika labeled Gulyaskrem Csemege

Bluefish? Yes, I made a bluefish goulash dish this evening -- and it was un delice, as they say in France.

Here's a bit of detail:

Vidalia onion rings sauteed in oil, rosemary, cayenne, chives and garlic, with a hefty dose of goulash paste fresh out of the tube sauteed in a high sauce pan at least for an hour

low pan bluefish baked at 425 degrees with the onion mix arranged around and on top for at least 20 mins

a bit of salt (in fact, a lot of salt given the Vidalia onions -- I prefer normal onions but that's all I had) to counter the sugar, a bit of thyme/salt from Bretagne

boy was it good.

And I have half of it left for tomorrow.......

[ronnie_suburban]

Bluefish?!? That's sacrilege!

j/k

Welcome to the thread Ocean_islands, and to eGullet too

I don't recall ever seeing paprika paste before. Sounds interesting.

=R=

[Jinmyo]

Bluefish goulash?

That's brilliant.

[RSincere]

I tried the crockpot chicken thighs a few weeks ago. Whatever you do, don't make it with the big jar of Spanish paprika from Sam's Club. That stuff tastes awful. I bought some Hungarian paprika from Penzey's and a little jar of Hungarian half-sharp paprika and I may try this recipe again. I'm going to give the yucky paprika to my mom, because she only uses it to sprinkle over casseroles and devilled eggs, not to flavor her food.

[Smithy]

This weekend, inspired by this thread, I tried roasting paprika chicken in my Romertopf. I stuffed the cavity with quartered onions, put more quartered onions and some celery stalks down as a rack in the bottom of the pot. Rubbed the chicken skin with a mix of pounded garlic, salt, lemon juice and white pepper, and slid some of that mixture under the skin for good measure, then took Fifi's advice and coated that baby with insane amounts of paprika. I started with the Hot Szego, but after tasting it began to fear the results, so I tempered it with the Sweet Szego. (I think the final result was somewhere past 50:50 toward the hot end.) Went off for a walk with the husband and dog, and when we got back an hour or so later, checked in to see what I had wrought.

Oh. My. Stars and Garters!

We have a new favorite. My approach was very unscientific but the results were spectacular. I thought it was a touch overcooked but Russ didn't; it certainly wasn't stringy, and the bones fell out by themselves. There's lovely juice (and at least a little meat!) left over for some broth or sauce - perhaps to go into tonight's rice and chicken stuffing for peppers. I might have experimented with it at the time, but we were too hungry, and the wine flowed too freely to do much but clean up afterward.

Next time: maybe cook slightly less time, maybe try the smoked paprika. Maybe follow an actual recipe written here. Start looking for other varieties to try. I dunno, but the possibilities are endless. Folks, sign us up as new addicts!

[fifi]

Bwaaahahahaha! Another eGull caught in our web!

Smithy, I have to say that I have never done a whole chicken but your rendition sounds truly inspired. I am going to have to try that. Actually, for this dish, I prefer the chicken to be cooked to falling off the bone. But then... I am usually doing just the thighs. And lately, I have been able to get skinless/boneless thighs so there isn't even a bone to fall off of. They do get to that melting tenderness, though. I can see how that could be distressing when serving a whole chicken that you want to make a presentation of. My "video mental moment" is of a chicken being gently lowered out of the pan onto the platter, ceremoniously carried to the table, and upon depositing it on the table, it collapses in a heap.

[Smithy]

....My "video mental moment" is of a chicken being gently lowered out of the pan onto the platter, ceremoniously carried to the table, and upon depositing it on the table, it collapses in a heap.    

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You mean, like my last car?

[fifi]

Yeah... That fits.

[ronnie_suburban]

Braising season is upon us and what better seasoning for the season than paprika?

Last month I turned out a couple of paprika briskets for my family's Rosh Hashana celebration and that holiday usually kicks off braising season for me.

Last week I stumbled into Joe's Fless Market where the proprietor, Joe, turns out some of the best hungarian sausage this side of Budapest. Needless to say, the stuff is almost orange from all the paprika it's flavored with. I'll try to snap a pic next time I stop in there. Wonderful stuff.

=R=

[mnebergall]

I've got a brisket flat in the freezer and I'm thinking of thawing it out this weekend. My initial plan is to give it a John Kerry coating of sweet and hot paprika and some salt and ground black pepper, thinnly slicing several onions and layering them on top, wrapping it all in foil, poking a small hole in the top to let some steam out, and cooking it for a long time in a slow oven. Then, unwrapping it and letting it cook some more. Will this work?

[ronnie_suburban]

I've got a brisket flat in the freezer and I'm thinking of thawing it out this weekend.  My initial plan is to give it a John Kerry coating of sweet and hot paprika and some salt and ground black pepper, thinnly slicing several onions and layering them on top, wrapping it all in foil, poking a small hole in the top to let some steam out, and cooking it for a long time in a slow oven.  Then, unwrapping it and letting it cook some more.  Will this work?

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Absolutely but I'd add some liquid, like beer or ale to the mix. You don't need much, maybe about 6-8 fluid ounces. I also suggest putting the veggies under the meat but I'm sure on top will work too. Braise covered for 4-5 hours. You can then slice it, return it to the liquid and cook it a while longer. Yum!

=R=

[mnebergall]

Absolutely but I'd add some liquid, like beer or ale to the mix.  You don't need much, maybe about 6-8 fluid ounces.  I also suggest putting the veggies under the meat but I'm sure on top will work too.  Braise covered for 4-5 hours.  You can then slice it, return it to the liquid and cook it a while longer.  Yum!

=R=

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I was thinking that liquid would be provided by the rendering onions. But what the heck, I need an excuse to go buy a six pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. As an afterthought, i was considering shaking the sliced onions in paprika, salt and pepper as well, or would that be overkill?

Edited October 13, 2004 by mnebergall (log)

[fifi]

As an afterthought, i was considering shaking the sliced onions in paprika, salt and pepper as well, or would that be overkill?

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If you have good paprika, there is no such thing as overkill.

[lcdm]

Reading all this about paprika reminded me a dish that my mom used to make, which I made last night.

Pre heat oven to 350

take a cookie sheet and line with foil, makes cleanup a lot easier

slice three large onions into rings and lay out on the cookie sheet season with seasoning salt, paprika and poultry seasoning

On the top of the onion place about 10-12 chicken thighs skin side down season with seasoning salt, paprika and poultry seasoning

roast for 1 hour

after the hour is up take out chick and turn so skin side is up season with seasoning salt, paprika and poultry seasoning

roast for another hour.

This comes out so good, the skin is nice and crunchy and the onions and "sauce" are great over mashed potatoes we served this with a nice bottle of red zin.

We basically licked our plates clean.

[ronnie_suburban]

I was thinking that liquid would be provided by the rendering onions.  But what the heck, I need an excuse to go buy a six pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  As an afterthought, i was considering shaking the sliced onions in paprika, salt and pepper as well, or would that be overkill?

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As Fifi said, with the good stuff, overkill is not an issue

On the ale issue, I'm not sure that it's necessary (onions will produce liquid) but it does add flavor and richness. SN Pale Ale would probably be excellent in this situation. I make "chickeny chicken" without additional liquid but have always used some with brisket. Ymmv

=R=

[ronnie_suburban]

Reading all this about paprika reminded me a dish that my mom used to make, which I made last night.

Pre heat oven to 350

take a cookie sheet and line with foil, makes cleanup a lot easier

slice three large onions into rings and lay out on the cookie sheet season with seasoning salt, paprika and poultry seasoning

On the top of the onion place about 10-12 chicken thighs skin side down season with seasoning salt, paprika and poultry seasoning

roast for 1 hour

after the hour is up take out chick and turn so skin side is up season with seasoning salt, paprika and poultry seasoning

roast for another hour.

This comes out so good, the skin is nice and crunchy and the onions and "sauce" are great over mashed potatoes we served this with a nice bottle of red zin.

We basically licked our plates clean.

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*drool*

=R=

[Mistinguett]

There is another good combination: paprika and white beans. There are 2 dishes I use it for, a bean stew and a bean appetizer.

The bean stew is pretty simple - sweat 2 chopped onions with a sprinkle of salt until glossy, add 1 tsp Wondra flour and stir well for a minute or so, than add some (1/2 cup or more) tomato juice, 1/2 cup water and a tsp paprika, salt to taste, bring to a boil and add 2 cans of Goya Great Northern beans. Let simmer for at least 1/2 hour on low heat.

Smoked hocks or bacon make a nice addition (you'd need to add 1 cup water and hocks to the onion and boil for maybe 1/2 hour before adding flour and tomato juice etc, or if using bacon this would be fried before the onions, removed and then added with the beans).

The bean appetizer is as simple as 1-2 cans of Goya (I know, there is a Goya thread too) giant white beans, pureed and seasoned with salt and fresh garlic paste to taste. You may mix in a little bit of OO until creamy (I do).

Now, this is the wonderful part: in a 1/4 cup OO brown one big onion, thinly sliced. It is important that is browned, it will have a sweet smoky taste. Add paprika to taste - 1 tsp to 1 tbsp, stir well to mix and pour over the bean puree. Serve with the bread you enjoy most.

Edited because I rushed earlier and missed a couple of words and to add that the bean puree can be made with any kind of white beans, I just prefer the creaminess of the giant ones.

Edited October 15, 2004 by Mistinguett (log)

[ludja]

The white bean dishes sound good Mistinguett...

A week or so ago I made a very good Hungarian potato goulash with smoked kielbasa.

Basically, par boil ~ 2-3 lbs potatoes and then peel.

Saute lots of onions and some chopped garlic in preferably lard or bacon fat.

Add 2 carrots worth of carrot coins and cook some more.

Take off heat, add generous amount of paprika (~ 2 Tbs) and mix thoroughly to coat.

Return to heat and add 2 cups beef or chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add 1 or 2 peeled, seeded tomatoes, 1 chopped green pepper, 1 tsp caraway seeds, and sliced potatoes.

If adding meat, add in sliced, smoked sausage at this point.

Cover and simmer for ~ 30 min until potatoes are tender.

Taste for seasoning.

If it gets too thick, add some more stock; it firms up some as it cools; you want a nice sauce.

Can also serve w/a dollop of sour cream.

I also add some cayenne pepper to increase the piquancy. The carrots may not be an authentic part of the recipe, but I llike it better w/them. Don't skip the caraway seeds; they add a great taste to the dish!

We had some cool weather before this past week and it hit the spot.

edited to add: I didn't have any smoked Hungarian sausage so I used the smoked kielbasa. I've also made it with other smoked sausages with good success.

Edited October 14, 2004 by ludja (log)

[ludja]

Made a great vegetarian mushroom goulash for friends the other night based on a recipe from an old Fine Cooking.

The simple ingredients belie the great taste of the finished dish.

Clean button mushrooms if needed and let sit out for several hours or overnight to dry out a little.

Sautee lots of minced red onion until soft; remove from pan.

Thinly slice a red bell pepper and sautee; remove from pan.

Trim stem ends, then slice mushrooms ~ 1/8 in thick thru cap and stem. Sautee mushrooms in batchs at high temp to quickly brown, sprinkle with bl. pepper as cooking.

Lower heat, add all the mushrooms back in, onions and peppers, paprika and salt. Mix in heavy cream and serve.

Rough proportions of ingredients: 1 large red onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1.5 lb mushrooms, 2-3 tsp paprika

(I served them over parsley spatzle, but rice or butter noodles would be nice as well).

Edited November 16, 2004 by ludja (log)

[Fritz Brenner]

Fifi, if you're still following this thread, I'd love to try your crockpot paprika chicken, but recipegullet still doesn't work. :( Would you mind posting it here?

Thanks much!

-Fritz