Bite of the Best

What it is: Ground smoked Spanish sweet peppers How it comes: 1.62-ounce bottle Where it is: In the spice section of your supermarket Who it's for: Anyone who uses paprika, or who'd like to add a smoky flavor to foods Suggested retail price: $5.30 Nutrition notes: N/A in quantities used Category: Fabulous Food: The pantry

Bonnie: I'm not sure where I first tasted smoked paprika. Portugal? Spain? However, I do remember at first thinking that the smoky flavor, which seemed to permeate so many Iberian foods, came from wood cooking. That is, until one of my travel mates told me about the local paprika — smoked paprika. I purchased some and savored (actually hoarded) it until my next trip to the area.

I loved the wood-smoked flavor it added.

And then, just last year, McCormick added Smoked Paprika to their Gourmet Collection line. This is one spice you must have in your cabinet. Seriously, it adds a wonderful wood-smoked pepper flavor to your foods.

Last month, when chatting with Kristen, a public relations person I'm working with (who sidelines as a caterer,) we yakked enthusiastically about this wonderful spice. We both love it on roasted veggies (she especially loves roasting cauliflower) made by tossing most any diced vegetables in a good-quality Spanish olive oil with a pinch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper (she uses Tellicherry pepper) and this smoked paprika. Perfection! Add a crumbling of feta or chèvre. Serve as is, or over brown rice or whole wheat pasta for a yummy winter's meal.

I add this smoked ground pepper to almost anything that I'd add paprika or ground pepper to: potatoes, gazpacho, chicken, dry rubs, seafood, beans, rice, asparagus, corn or any veggies and anything with cheese. It's a very simple way to enhance your food.

I know I'll never buy another jar of regular paprika again. I'm sold on this.

Bryan: Smoking does interesting things to foods. Like the dramatic changes an oak barrel can impart to a white wine, wood components alter food flavors to bring out new aspects from many common dishes. No one would disagree chili pepper and chipotle pepper do the same. It's also true of McCormick Smoked Paprika. Try plain mashed potatoes and then a smoked potato puree before getting back to me on smoking. These aren't even in the same food group. I'll get the easy part out of the way. McCormick is the "Kleenex" or "Q-tip" of seasoning; they're the standard-bearer, they are seasoning. Now, back to paprika. It's boring! It adorns deviled eggs but is essentially a powdered food coloring. It seems to be everywhere, but I've never really known what to do with it. Enter smoked paprika. Who needs paprika now? Fish comes alive (yes, tuna, but also any whitefish you're pan-frying), sunny side up eggs gain a smoky depth and get that fun, familiar dramatic red speckling. Try a sprinkle on some roasted potatoes, french fries, fried chicken or even in hamburger meat. This spice is my new garlic; it goes on everything!

Eric: I always believed that paprika was a colorful addition to a dish, but added no real flavor. Of course, there is a subtle taste, but mostly it was a sprinkle over mashed potatoes, on the rim of a plate of a main course, or mix into my tri-weekly tuna salad addiction. I was recently sent a jar of McCormick's Smoked Paprika. Upon opening it, I held it and looked at it as if I were a monkey with a food processor. "What's the point? Why would I need this product?" I instantly wrote to my mother and asked what I should use this for, if not as a paperweight. She simply replied "sprinkle some in your tuna, and then talk to me." I hesitantly opened the jar, and the smell alone caught my attention. This isn't just another spice; it's an enhanced one, and it added more flavor to my tuna than I ever imagined a paprika could. Used in moderation, it is not an overpowering taste. Since then, I have used it with other fish, cooked vegetables, and as a mix-in to some salad dressings. Simply put, this is one spice I'll add to the collection.