FavorFlavs #28

We all have them: favorite flavors, ingredients and kitchen tools. FavorFlavs we always reach for (again). These are ours.

Smoked paprika

Put mayonnaise on everything. And by everything, we mean (almost) everything. Swear by Sriracha sauce, and crown furikake (Japanese salt-and-herb seasoning) the mother of all condiments.
And of course, never prepare a meal without wild sea salt from the Atlantic Ocean or thereabouts. Plus a pinch of smoked paprika. Sound familiar?

This preferably homegrown, powdered and smoked paprika seasoning from our very own ‘guy’ can also, with a little goodwill, go o-ver-y-thing. Thanks to its never overpowering, but definitely present, kick.

Now, pretty much any ingredient gets a boost when you smoke it. Because of the enticing aroma and the more intense flavor. But smoked paprika transforms from a colorless German teacher in Jesus sandals into a full-on hunk of Alexander ‘Tarzan’ Skarsgård proportions.

What do we sling Tarzan through? Tomato soup, of course. But all other soups also perk up from a few tablespoons. Guacamole, fries, fried potatoes, hummus, homemade sausage, stews and oven dishes of every nationality… We have yet to come across a dish where its presence is inappropriate.

Available at, among others, De Volkskruidentuin in Amsterdam and at various farmers’ markets from Glenn’s Peppers.