Black Olives With Harissa Recipes

BLACK OLIVES WITH HARISSA

Steps:

• In a colander rinse olives under cold water 1 minute and in a large bowl cover with cold water. Soak olives 4 hours to remove excess salt and drain well.
• Make harissa: In a mortar with a pestle, an electric spice grinder, or a cleaned coffee grinder grind seeds fine. If using mortar and pestle, add chilies, garlic, and salt and pound to taste. If using a spice or coffee grinder, transfer seeds to a small food processor and add chilies, garlic, and salt. Grind mixture to a paste. Add pepper and oil and pound or purée to a coarse paste.
• In a large bowl stir together harissa and olives and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight. Olives may be prepared 1 week ahead and kept chilled, covered.
• Serve olives at room temperature.
• To roast peppers:
• Using a long-handled fork, char peppers over an open flame or on a rack set over an electric burner, turning, until skins are blackened, 4 to 6 minutes. (Or to broil peppers on rack of a broiler pan under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from heat, turning every 5 minutes, 15 to 20 minutes, or until skins are blistered and charred.) Transfer peppers to a bowl and let stand, covered, until cool enough to handle. Keeping peppers whole, peel them, starting at blossom end. Cut off pepper tops and discard seeds and ribs.

FISH FILLETS WITH HARISSA AND BLACK OLIVES (TUNISIA)

Steps:

• Season fish with salt and pepper.
• Dust with flour and fry in hot olive oil until golden brown on all sides.
• Transfer fish to a side dish. Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for a few minutes.
• Add tomato sauce, harissa, bay leaf and 1/2 cup water. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Add olives and fish fillets and continue cooking, uncovered, until the fish is tender and the sauce thick.
• Add lemon juice to taste. Discard the bay leaf.
• Serve, sprinkled with parsley.

BLACK OLIVES WITH RED PEPPER HARISSA

Steps:

• Drain olives, rinse under running water, place in large bowl and cover with fresh water; soak 15 minutes for canned, 4 hours for oil-cured, to remove excess salt; drain, rinse again; drain well.
• Toast cumin, coriander and caraway seeds in a hot, dry skillet to release flavor and fragrance, being careful not to scorch or burn them. Cool.
• Grind the toasted seeds fine; if using a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to such purposes, add dried chiles here and continue to grind.
• If using electric appliances, transfer finely ground spices/dried chiles to a food processor or blender here; if using a mortar & pestle, continue with it.
• To ground spices, add garlic, salt, and fresh chiles, if using them; grind to a paste.
• Add red bell pepper and olive oil and pound or puree to a paste (your preference here, I like it rather fine); adding more oil, drop by drop, if desired for consistency.
• Taste and add a touch more salt, if necessary.
• In a large, nonreactive or non-stainable bowl, stir together olives and harissa; cover, chill and marinate at least 6 hours and up to a week before serving.
• For best flavor, bring olives in harissa to room temperature before serving.
• I have kept them up to 4 weeks (if they last that long!),well covered and chilled; with a layer of olive oil floated on top.