Spanish cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Alicante-Style Salmorreta

Alicante spice paste of ñora pepper, tomato, garlic and parsley, the base of every rice dish in the region.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 4 dried ñora peppers (or 2 tbsp paprika paste as substitute)
• 4 ripe tomatoes
• 1 head garlic
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Slit open the ñora peppers, remove stem and seeds, and soak the pods in hot water for 20 min. until soft and pliable.
2. Warm 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan over low heat and fry the drained ñoras for only 30–40 sec. per side – if they darken, the whole paste turns bitter.
3. Remove the ñoras, scrape the flesh from the skin with a spoon and set aside.
4. Fry the unpeeled garlic cloves in the same oil for 4–5 min. until golden brown, then add the peeled, diced tomatoes and simmer uncovered for 10 min. until dark red and thick.
5. Process the ñora flesh, tomato mixture, garlic squeezed from its skins, parsley leaves, paprika, sea salt and pepper in a mortar or blender into a coarse, deep red paste.
6. Stir in the remaining olive oil, fill into a clean jar and store in the fridge for up to a week – 2 tbsp season a pot of rice for four people.