When Local Just Won't Do #2: Pimentón de la Vera (Spanish Smoked Paprika)

I began my series on essential non-local ingredients with salted anchovies.  Although anchovies show up in numerous Spanish preparations, they are hardly unique to Spain.  In contrast, today's ingredient is one of the most unique ingredients in the Spanish kitchen: pimentón.  Spanish smoked paprika appears in countless signature dishes, including chorizo, pulpo a la gallega (Galician octopus with potatoes), salsa brava, etc...Penelope Casas Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain contains over 50 recipes (out of approximately 300...1/6 of ALL her recipes and not even counting those incorporating it stealthily in chorizo) that require the smoky/earthy/ruddy spice.

To put it bluntly, there is no easier way to add a Spanish flavor to your cooking than by adding a spoonful of pimentón to your dishes.  Mark Bittman has raved about it and admits to a near obsession.  Pimentón is made by smoke-drying red chiles of various heat levels and then grinding them into powder.  Spaniards hold the highest quality pimentón from the la Vera region in such regard that they have granted it the much-coveted Denominación de Origen status.

Luckily for lovers of Spanish food, pimentón is easily available and highly affordable.  A standard-sized tin should run you less than $7.  If you decide to stock up on all 3 varieties (dulce or sweet, agridulce or bittersweet, and picante or hot), you'll still have change leftover from a $20 bill.  More importantly, you'll have an invaluable ingredient for a plethora of traditional and improvised Spanish dishes.  For today's recipe, I've gone the improvised route: a quick pasta sauced with jamón (cured ham), yellow bell peppers, tomato paste, and (of course) a healthy dose of pimentón.

Linguine with Jamón, Peppers, & Pimentón

serves 2-3, depending on appetite

Cost: ~$3.50

Ingredients

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, sliced thin

2-4 oz. jamón or other cured pork product, in small dice

1 yellow or red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 tbsp. pimentón, heat level by preference

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. parsley, minced

1 cup aged cheese, grated (manchego would be wonderfully Spanish, parmigiano would work fine, but I happened to have some Vella Aged Jack in the fridge)

10 oz. linguine (or other strand pasta)

Method

1) Bring at least 4 quarts of salted water to a boil over high heat.

2) Heat the olive oil in a  12" skillet (non-stick is fine) over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the jamón, onion, and bell pepper.  Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the mix becomes tender.

3) Reduce heat to low.  Add  the tomato paste and pimentón.  Stir thoroughly and add salt to taste.

4) Cook the linguine in the salted water until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.  Using tongs, transfer the pasta directly to the skillet with the pepper mixture.  Drain some of the water but don't be too thorough.  The starchy water will help create a nice saucy consistency.  Toss the pasta with the pepper mixture.  Add the parsley and 3/4 cup of the cheese.  Toss again, adding reserved pasta water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.  Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.

5) Transfer to serving bowls, top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, and enjoy!

When Local Just Won't Do #1: Salted Anchovies

Generally speaking, I am a strong proponent of a locally-based diet. However, this poses some significant challenges considering my interest in the cuisines of other cultures. Spanish cuisine is especially problematic. Numerous Spanish specialties rely on unique products from specific regions. For example, an Asturian fabada requires special white beans (fabes de la Granja), cured pork shoulder (lacón), blood sausage (morcilla), and chorizo. While it IS possible to obtain these ingredients in America, they are often prohibitively expensive (e.g. $35 for a kilogram of fabes from La Tienda!!!!!) or of mediocre quality (e.g. Palacios chorizo is the only commonly available Spanish chorizo in the U.S.). What's worse, all these ingredients have to be imported from Spain with all that entails in the way of fossil fuels. Needless to say, I try to find domestic alternatives whenever possible...as long as they are of sufficient quality.

Sometimes the realities of living in Central Ohio override such concerns. In some cases, domestic alternatives simply do not exist. Anchovies are a great example...As far as I know, there is no significant domestic source for the tasty little fish. Luckily, imported anchovies are an "efficient" imported product, with a 2.2 pound can providing a supply for months (or weeks if you're like me). Even better, this kilo of animal protein costs HALF of what the somewhat pretentious fabes de la granja do.

Many foodwriters rave about the superiority of salt-packed anchovies over their jarred or tinned oil-packed bretheren. I finally summoned up the drive to give them a try to see if the hype was justified. My order arrived today and I dove right in!

Salted anchovies require a bit of work to reach edibility as they are packed in a giant block of salt. Take a look (not so appetizing at first sight):

To make them useful, you must carefully pry out the fish, layer-by-layer. Use a thin bladed knife or fork if you are worried:

Next, you must rinse off the excess salt. Use cold water and a GENTLE stream of water. Otherwise you rip the delicate flesh in two or lose it down the garbage disposal. Depending on the intended use, you can actually soak the anchovies for up to 15 minutes. If they are going in a cooked dish, don't bother soaking but be aware of the salt you are bringing to the party. Check out the rinsed fish:

Finally, you must carefully pry the two fillets from the backbone and scrape off any remaining scales or fins. Your fingers are perfect for this job! The first few might be a bit tricky but you'll get the hang of it faster than I could possibly explain it. Don't be afraid of a few stray ribs or bones...you can actually bread and fry the little skeletons for a delicious and crunchy snack. Here are some fully cleaned fillets:

Once filleted, you can use immediately or refrigerate in a non-reactive airtight container covered in olive oil.

As for the hype, it is well-justified. The cleaned fillets have a meatiness and depth of flavor that most oil-packed anchovies do not match. I suspect this has more to do with the fact that most anchovies are pre-cleaned than the particular merits of salt vs. oil-packing. Keeping seafood intact always enhances the flavor and these anchovies are no exception. The above fillets were so delicious that they went right into a Caesar Salad and were consumed before I even thought to take a picture! Hopefully, we'll be seeing more uses for my 2.2 pound block of salted fish before long...