Paprika Recipes

Making paprika at home isn’t particularly difficult, and it is a good thing to do if you have spare red peppers (capsicum). That said, this spice is widely available, so you can make delicious paprika recipes without having to make the spice yourself. Here’s what to do for homemade paprika:

1. Wash and remove the seeds from some red bell peppers, or use Hungarian peppers for an authentic flavour in a dish like goulash.
2. Thinly slice the deseeded peppers so that they dry out more rapidly than they would if they were to remain in large chunks.
3. Place the slices on a baking tray and put them in the oven on low heat (around 150°C) for a few hours.
4. Ensure you turn the pepper slices every now and again so that they dry out evenly.
5. When the pepper slices are brittle, you are ready for the next stage—if they’re not, simply keep them in the oven for longer until they are.
6. Place some of the dried-out pepper slices into a pestle, then mortar and grind them into a powder, continuing with the remaining ones when you can fit them in. Alternatively, blitz the entire batch in a food processor.
7. Transfer the powdered paprika to an airtight container or jar. You can store it in a dark location for up to six months before the paprika begins to lose its potency.

If you would like to produce smoked paprika for making a red capsicum pizza at home, then all of the above steps should be followed. However, you will need to add the smokiness to the peppers before drying them out. To do this, add them to a smoker with wood chips, such as hickory or oak. If you don’t have one, then you can grill them instead, but the smokiness of the resulting paprika won’t be quite as pronounced with this method.