A Simple Harissa Recipes

HARISSA

Steps:

• Break up chili peppers, remove the stems and seeds, and discard. Wear disposable gloves if working with medium-hot or hot peppers.
• Place chili peppers in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak until softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well, then dab dry with paper towels.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over very low heat and cook garlic until soft but still pale, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to the food processor together along with the chili peppers.
• Toast caraway seeds, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds in the skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Crush them in a mortar and add to the food processor. Process while slowly adding remaining olive oil, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed. Season with salt.
• Spoon harissa into a sterilized glass jar and level the top. Add enough olive oil so the surface is covered and the harissa won't dry out. Seal and refrigerate.

EASY HARISSA RECIPE

Steps:

• Soak and prepare the dried chiles. Place the dried chiles in a heat-safe bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside for 30 minutes until the chiles are tender and re-hydrated. Drain the chiles and remove the stems and seeds.
• Combine chiles with the remaining ingredients. Transfer the chiles to the bowl of a large food processor fitted with a blade. Add the tomato paste, roasted red peppers, garlic, ground caraway seeds, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne (if using), and a large pinch of kosher salt. Add fresh lemon juice.
• Make the harissa paste. Run the food processor, and while it's running, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil from the top opening. Stop the processor to scrape down the sides and run again until you reach the desired paste-like texture. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking (remember that harissa paste will deepen in flavor as it sits in the fridge over the next day or two).
• Store. Transfer the harissa paste to a clean mason jar. Cover with a very thin layer of extra virgin olive oil, then cover the jar with its lid tightly and refrigerate.

HARISSA PASTE

Steps:

• Put the coriander, caraway and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan and toast for 1 min. Grind in a pestle and mortar. Soak the guajillo chillies in warm water, then drain and remove the seeds (keep the soaking water). Put the spices and the soaked chillies into a blender with the halved red chillies, the garlic, coriander, lemon juice, olive oil and some salt. Add some chipotle paste to taste if you want a smoky flavour. Blend to a thick paste with a little soaking liquid. Put in a sterilised jar and pour over a little extra olive oil. Will keep chilled for up to two weeks.

A SIMPLE HARISSA

Steps:

• Cut the tomatoes in half and gently wring out the seeds and liquid over the sink. Grate each tomato half on the coarse side of a grater into a bowl by holding the cut side of the tomato half against the grater and grating the flesh just to the skin. Discard the skin. Grate the onion into the bowl. Stir in the parsley, paprika, oil, and lemon juice, salt and black pepper to taste; the mixture should be highly seasoned. Serve immediately, or no longer than 4 hours after making, at room temperature.
• Note: Fora milder harissa, omit the hot paprika or cayenne pepper.