I’d never been a huge fan of seasoning salt, that pre-packaged blend of salt, paprika and who-knows-what-else. Control freak that I am, I usually prefer adding ingredients individually. If I want to have celery seed or turmeric in my ratatouille, I’ll put it there myself.
However, I started coming around to this particular combination after I realized that I was putting pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika) onto just about everything. One of the great things about pimentón for vegetarian cooking is that it adds a hint of smokiness which is hard to come by in bacon-less cuisine. Since I happen to have sweet pimentón (instead of hot), I often add some cayenne as well. Given that I add sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper to food almost reflexively, why, I asked myself, should I go through four discrete steps to season my food when I could just make one jar of seasoning salt? Now, in order to season those sweet potato fries while they’re still hot (and it’s essential to season fried food while it’s good and hot) and not have to fumble with a bunch of little spice jars, I can just reach for my Essence of Militant Carnivore, or whatever you want to call it.
(I accidentally wrote “discreet steps” in that last paragraph. There’s really nothing discreet about how I season food. Bring the heat, I say. Whenever I’m at the sort of restaurant that offers fresh pepper to be grated over my food, I usually end up shooting the waiter a dirty look when he stops after a few perfunctory grinds. “Leave the grinder” is what I want to say.)
I honestly have no idea how much of each ingredient I used; measuring spoons seem antithetical to that devil-may-care, “a little of this, a little of that” ethos that I am so carefully cultivating. However, it wouldn’t be much of a recipe without some proportions, would it? Here is my best guess as to what is actually in that jar, but you should, of course, tailor it to your taste. De gustibus non disputandum est.
- 1/4 c pimentón
- 1/4 c fine sea salt
- 1 T freshly ground black pepper (As a public service, I will tell you that a tablespoon is 1/16 of a cup. I don’t know why cookbooks never bother to tell you this. Learning this particular piece of information blew my mind. Changed my whole perspective on things.)
- 1 t cayenne pepper
Thanks Wayne. Cooking ratatouie for Jessica & I am going to use some Spanish Smoked Paprika tonight.
Sounds great!
My brother (a dedicated vegetarian and a great cook) gave me jar of Spanish smoked paprika a few months ago. He said, “I add it to everything.” I’ve been doing the same — it really does add a smoky element, similar to that I imagine bacon would impart.
Smoked cheese (mozzarella, Gouda, cheddar) for those who eat dairy is another good way of getting a little campfire into the food.
Smoked cheese is awesome. Last New Year’s Eve (a year ago), we made a smoked Gouda and porter fondue. It was rad, but one friend still claims to be done with smoked Gouda. His loss…
I just tried this recipe this afternoon and it was awesome! Very easy to make and delicious to eat. It was so good that I got recruited into making it for my parents for dinner tonight. Thanks magister! I think I’m gonna try the soup next.
Glad you like it! Good luck with the soup: It’s really very simple, it just takes a lot of time; so plan ahead!
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