Hungarian Paprika?

Chuck roasts were on sale, so I thought I'd make some goulash with potato pancake (what's the name of the dish where it's made like an omelet with goulash on the inside?). I'm looking for a resource for Hungarian paprika around Ukranian Village. I'm sure some of the Polish places have it, but I thought I'd see if anyone knew of a place for sure to save some time. Thanks.

Hi,

Maybe not close enough, though a very good source for spices:

Spice House
1512 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60610
http://www.thespicehouse.com
312-274-0378

In Jewel/Dominicks, I have seen a Hungarian paprika sold in a red tin with white print.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:In Jewel/Dominicks, I have seen a Hungarian paprika sold in a red tin with white print.

This is the "Pride of Szeged" Paprika which comes in both "hot" and "sweet". It's generally available at most groceries. I use a ton of it and I've purchased it at Dominick's before but generally buy it at Marketplace on Oakton.

Best,
EC

Abraus wrote: I'm looking for a resource for Hungarian paprika around Ukranian Village.

Abraus,

I'll second Cathys recommendation of the Spice House, but add I typically use their Half-sharp Hungarian Paprika, which has a bit more zing than most.

I use paprika in my BBQ rub and over the years have noticed a wide gap in the freshness of paprika, and other spices, from various sources, The Spice House's products always taste fresh and bright.

Another place I've purchased Hungarian paprika is Joe The Sausage King on N Western. Joe buys in bulk for sausage making, repacks in smaller amounts for customers, the paprika is always quite fresh.

I am very aware of the freshness of paprika as older, not-so-fresh, paprika tastes gummy, think wallpaper paste, when used in a BBQ rub or recipe.

Enjoy,
Gary

Joe's The Sausage King
4452 N Western Ave.
Chicago, IL. 60625
773-478-5443

On a side note, I was at a party with Tom and Patty Erd, owners of the spice house (and I gave them the URL to lthforum, so maybe they're lurking).

They had one great story about Trio buying 20 pounds of vanilla beans per month, at $300/lb, and requiring them to be a very specific length. Needless to say, the Erds eventually told them to deal directly with their vanilla purveyor, as they couldn't tie up $6,000 in inventory each month just for trio (not counting the beans they have to buy and not give to trio for being the wrong size).

It was a wonderfully interesting conversation, and the Erds are great people. And I'm addicted to their store, so it was wonderful for me.

-ed

gleam wrote:On a side note, I was at a party with Tom and Patty Erd, owners of the spice house (and I gave them the URL to lthforum, so maybe they're lurking).

They had one great story about Trio buying 20 pounds of vanilla beans per month, at $300/lb, and requiring them to be a very specific length.

Ed,

Your post reminded me of a 'vanilla bean' course we had at Trio's kitchen table a few months ago.


For the life of me I just can't remember exactly what this was, 24-courses with wine will do that to a fellow. Luckily Ellen and I dined with MAG and Thor's Personal Assistant who may remember specifics.

I have not met Tom, but Patty, of The Spice House, is not only spice knowledgeable, but knows her BBQ. She was at the Slow Food BBQ where I cooked last month, complimented my BBQ, conclusion, she knows her BBQ.

I also want to mention Dave Dickson deserves serious BBQ kudos. Dave assisted mightily all day and was integral to the success of the BBQ. Peter Daane helped as well, though prior commitments kept him from spending the complete day with Dave and me.

Picture from Slow Food BBQ at City Farm, 8.11.04.


Enjoy,
Gary

The vanilla bean is used as a skewer for a shrimp dipped in tempura batter, and then the whole thing is deep fried (is my understanding).

The bean may not be deep fried..

Patty seemed a little shocked that they'd be using a very expensive (and 8-year-old) vanilla bean as a skewer in a single dish, when they are normally used to flavor large quantities of food/whatnot.

-ed

G Wiv wrote:I am very aware of the freshness of paprika as older, not-so-fresh, paprika tastes gummy, think wallpaper paste, when used in a BBQ rub or recipe.

I was an adult before I realized paprika had a flavor. My mother kept a can for years at a time and used a sprinkle here and there to add color to dishes like whitefish (which she broiled to an inch of its life). And that's all it added -- color.

Now, I store paprika and similarly volatile spices, such as ground chilies, in the freezer. They keep much fresher longer that way, though you do have to be careful about condensate.