I think I might have mentioned it here before but I can’t exactly remember.  Of late, I have definitely enjoyed delving into cooking Spanish food and exploring that cuisine.  My last recipe I did for Alternative Press, which I also posted here on the blog, featured a Spanish pepper stuffed with a white bean and fennel sofrito.  The one spice featured in the sofrito was Pimenton, Spanish paprika.  It can be sweet (Dulce, pictured above) or it can be spicy/hot (pictured below).  The best Pimenton generally is “De La Vera” which comes from a specific region in Spain, so if you buy it, look for that on the label.  I have a tin of sweet and a tin of spicy.  They last quite a while as the spice is quite strong and pungent.  I love it…it imparts a ton of flavor and color to anything I add it to.  I’ve used it in everything from slow cooked beans to roasted chicken to simply adding a dash or two to veggies.  I have looked high and low for Pimenton locally and have come up empty.  So, my advice, if you are interested in buying some is to either look in NYC or order it on-line.  Amazon sells it.  There’s also a great little website called La Tienda, which features all sorts of Spanish specialty food items and recipes and they sell it as well.  At any rate, you’ll have to do some digging beyond simply picking it up at the grocery store.  However, in my opinion, it’s definitely worth the effort!