Like most Americans my first experience with paprika came on deviled eggs. It didn't taste like much and it was only trotted out for that particular dish. When I experimented in my mother's kitchen, I opened different spices and took a whiff. I even gave the paprika a chance, but it didn't pass the sniff test.
What I didn't know is that there are different varieties of the spice and that it has a relatively short shelf life as far as spices go. When I found a recipe which called specifically for Spanish smoked paprika, I didn't use the stuff in my cabinet (because there was none) so I had to buy it.
It was a whole new experience--the difference between a skeleton and a living being. You might know the general shape of an animal from its skeleton, but you wouldn't know the important details. There's beauty in the flesh. That's what smoked Spanish paprika is to the musty stuff I knew growing up: alive rather than a pile of bones.
Smoked Spanish Paprika comes from very mild sweet peppers that are ever so slowly smoked, generally with oak chips (though not always). Sometimes a combination of peppers are used. Despite peppers being the base, the most commonly found paprikas here in the US don't add heat to a dish. In some ways, it reminds me of chipotle, without the heat and with less dramtic sweet notes. Instead it's savory and smokey, with just a touch of the sweet.
I'm gaining an interest in trying to smoke my own paprika, though it really seems involved and I would have to get a smoker. I do have a dehydrator, so I can experiement with drying and grinding various peppers, but I won't get that smokey flavor.
I'm also interested in some of hotter Hungarian and Spanish paprikas. I'm unlikely to find these in a typical supermarket, but some of Jacksonville's ethinic markets and the interweb should should serve me well.
Showing posts with label smoked paprika. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smoked paprika. Show all posts
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
White Meat Vs. Dark Meat
This week I'm fixing my toasted garlic and smoked paprika boneless chicken thighs.
Now chicken thighs tend to put off those that prefer white meat. White meat doesn't have as much flavor as dark because it doesn't have as much fat. Those who prefer white hold that it isn't as greasy and is a better "blank canvas" for flavors.
These differences mean that in certain recipes, one or the other is the better choice.
Such is the case with my toasted garlic and smoked paprika chicken thighs. The dark meat is just better.
I'm actually thinking about throwing in a few pieces of white meat for those who claim a strong aversion to dark meat--but, I hesitate. It doesn't feel right or true.
I've never been one of those cooks who wail about a recipe's integrity. The fact is I feel for poor maligned dark meat. This a recipe where boneless thighs are given the chance to shine--to be a star on the plate--not everybody's second choice.
The specter of my mother rises and I feel the urge to say things like "Just try a bite" and "I can't believe you don't like it. It's so good!"
Taste is a personal thing. I can't impose the experience on others that I'm having with a particular mouthful any more than my mother could. I can't make light meaters (thus I have coined a term)experience dark meat in the same way I do.
But.
If I toss some white meat into the recipe, nothing will stop me from placing a small pile of dark meat on their plate. "Just try a bite," I'll say, after extolling the virtues of dark meat in this recipe. And maybe, just maybe, one of them will have a revelatory experience.
Smoked Paprika Boneless Chicken Thighs
Olive Oil
1 head of Garlic
Chicken Thighs
Smoked Paprika
Bay Leaf
White Wine
Salt and Pepper
To begin with, slice fresh garlic. Don't crush or mince the garlic, you're going to be toasting the garlic in slices. One head of garlic or 10 cloves should be sufficient. I like to wear gloves. Because otherwise I smell like garlic for several days, even after the spplication of soap.
In a large deep pan, I heat olive oil. Once it's heated, I throw in the garlic. Some slices will cook faster than others. Have a plate nearby with a paper towel on it to place the toasted garlic and drain the oil.
Leave the remaining oil in the pan, but take it off the burner whilst you prepare the chicken thighs. A little salt pepper and a liberal amount of smoked paprika should go on the thighs. Make sure you get smoked Spanish paprika--it's better than the other stuff.
Place the pan back on the burner and let it heat up. Toss your thighs in the pan. Let them brown and turn twice. Then pour enough white wine into the pan to cover half the chicken. Throw a dried whole bay leaf or two into this. Bring the wine to a boil and then bring down the temp to about medium and then to simmer. Place the lid on and allow to cook for about 12-15 minutes more.
After the 12 minutes is up, check on the thighs. Turn them over and turn up the temperature to reduce the liquid a little, if need be. Boneless chicken thighs normally take about 20-40 minutes total to cook on the stove top at medium heat.
Allow a few minutes to cool, off hot burner and top with garlic slices to serve. Bread goes well with the tasty sauce, made possible by dark meat goodness.
Now chicken thighs tend to put off those that prefer white meat. White meat doesn't have as much flavor as dark because it doesn't have as much fat. Those who prefer white hold that it isn't as greasy and is a better "blank canvas" for flavors.
These differences mean that in certain recipes, one or the other is the better choice.
Such is the case with my toasted garlic and smoked paprika chicken thighs. The dark meat is just better.
I'm actually thinking about throwing in a few pieces of white meat for those who claim a strong aversion to dark meat--but, I hesitate. It doesn't feel right or true.
I've never been one of those cooks who wail about a recipe's integrity. The fact is I feel for poor maligned dark meat. This a recipe where boneless thighs are given the chance to shine--to be a star on the plate--not everybody's second choice.
The specter of my mother rises and I feel the urge to say things like "Just try a bite" and "I can't believe you don't like it. It's so good!"
Taste is a personal thing. I can't impose the experience on others that I'm having with a particular mouthful any more than my mother could. I can't make light meaters (thus I have coined a term)experience dark meat in the same way I do.
But.
If I toss some white meat into the recipe, nothing will stop me from placing a small pile of dark meat on their plate. "Just try a bite," I'll say, after extolling the virtues of dark meat in this recipe. And maybe, just maybe, one of them will have a revelatory experience.
Smoked Paprika Boneless Chicken Thighs
Olive Oil
1 head of Garlic
Chicken Thighs
Smoked Paprika
Bay Leaf
White Wine
Salt and Pepper
To begin with, slice fresh garlic. Don't crush or mince the garlic, you're going to be toasting the garlic in slices. One head of garlic or 10 cloves should be sufficient. I like to wear gloves. Because otherwise I smell like garlic for several days, even after the spplication of soap.
In a large deep pan, I heat olive oil. Once it's heated, I throw in the garlic. Some slices will cook faster than others. Have a plate nearby with a paper towel on it to place the toasted garlic and drain the oil.
Leave the remaining oil in the pan, but take it off the burner whilst you prepare the chicken thighs. A little salt pepper and a liberal amount of smoked paprika should go on the thighs. Make sure you get smoked Spanish paprika--it's better than the other stuff.
Place the pan back on the burner and let it heat up. Toss your thighs in the pan. Let them brown and turn twice. Then pour enough white wine into the pan to cover half the chicken. Throw a dried whole bay leaf or two into this. Bring the wine to a boil and then bring down the temp to about medium and then to simmer. Place the lid on and allow to cook for about 12-15 minutes more.
After the 12 minutes is up, check on the thighs. Turn them over and turn up the temperature to reduce the liquid a little, if need be. Boneless chicken thighs normally take about 20-40 minutes total to cook on the stove top at medium heat.
Allow a few minutes to cool, off hot burner and top with garlic slices to serve. Bread goes well with the tasty sauce, made possible by dark meat goodness.
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