AD | 10 Simple Winter Warmers with Schwartz Smoked Paprika

I home cook a lot, and I use a good variety of different seasonings for different meals. Schwartz asked me if I'd create some dishes using my favourite seasoning from their extensive range, and as I use it in potato dishes, pasta dishes, curries, stir fries, barbeques, mayonnaise dips, chilli and a host of other meals, I chose Smoked Paprika.

I love Smoked Paprika because it adds depth of flavour and a little heat to your dish really easily, as well as adding colour, throughout the food, or sprinkled over the top. It's ridiculously versatile. It goes very well with potatoes, pasta, rice, beans and vegetables, as well as your protein - chicken, fish, or a substitute. Just don't burn it, or it'll taste bitter. Unless you are roasting, add it during cooking or afterwards...

Chilli / Ragu
Smoked paprika alone won't give you that chilli kick, but it will add warmth and a smoky sweetness which really makes a difference to a chilli. Complimentary flavour on top of flavour.

Spicy Beans
Paprika goes incredibly well with beans of all types, including beany chillis and soups, and good old baked beans. Try adding a pinch next time you have beans on toast.

Fajitas
Paprika is a great flavouring and colouring for chicken /veggie chicken in fajitas, and it's a good chilli replacement for children or people who don't like very spicy food.

Roasted Veg
Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts all taste very different if you roast them, and their flavour is more pronounced. Give them a shake in a bowl with some oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika before roasting for 30-40 minutes to make them really special.

Soups
Add a little smoked paprika to just about any hot soup and you'll add warmth and comfort. For best effect, just before serving take another pinch and swirl it on the top. If you've made a soup and found it's bland, smoked paprika can often save it.

Goulash
This is a type of stew originating from Hungary. Meat /meat substitute and onions are gently fried and then added to an ovensafe dish/pan with water, tomatoes (canned is fine), mixed herbs, black pepper and lots of Smoked Paprika. Meaty versions can then slowly cook for a couple or 3 hours, whereas your veggie version will prefer an hour at most.

Sausage or Chicken Paella
Paprika is again perfect for colour, warmth and depth of flavour. It goes with rice really well and that red hue looks so appetising. If you aren't one for following tricky recipes, just add vegetable stock and paprika to rice in a big shallow pan over a medium/low heat. Add pre-cooked meat/meat substitute plus some rough chopped vegetables and stir as little as sensible, but don't let it go dry. Eat it when the rice is ready.

Potato/ Sweet Potato Wedges and Roasties
In a bowl, mix together oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a heaped teaspoon of smoked paprika. Chop your potatoes or wedges, (part boil regular potatoes) and coat them in the mixture before roasting. You can add other things too. I like to vary between black pepper, thyme, rosemary and garlic with smoked paprika, or just mild chilli powder and smoked paprika. In Winter I add a little sprinkle of Cumin too - for an extra cosy feel. It completely transforms both regular potato and sweet potato.

Red Salt (American Chip Spice Seasoning)
Regular or sweet potato chips, burgers, ribs or whatever you want to use it on, that gorgeous 'red salt' seasoning is mostly salt, Smoked Paprika and dried tomato. If you don't have dried tomatoes (lets face it they aren't so common in the UK) you can make a 'wet' version using tomato sauce and paprika - voila!

Dips and Dressings
Paprika adds warmth and a hint of smokiness to dips and dressings. You can mix it in, sprinkle it on top or swirl it in. It goes well with hummus, mayonnaise, mint and a host of other dressings.

Smoked Paprika is mainly of Spanish origin and it is from a specific type of sweet mild pepper, which is smoke-dried over Oak to give that gorgeous woodfire aroma. I particularly like Schwartz Smoked Paprika because it has a good smokey sweet taste and has never been bitter from the jar, which an alternative has been. It's reliable, and when you have spent time and money preparing food, you need that quality.  

Schwartz have a massive range of herbs and spices, and you can find them in your local supermarket. Tesco has a huge range and currently have Smoked Paprika at £1.60 for 40g or 2 x Schwartz seasonings for £2.50. 

I was sent a jar of Schwartz Smoked Paprika and paid for the ingredients in order to create this post.