Way long ago when I posted about Carrot and Chickpea Stew, I mentioned that I'd post a recipe for harissa. I really love this stuff. It's great on the stew, on bread, with hummus and pita... even plain. Back when North African foods were only just becoming trendy here in the US, I even toyed with the idea of selling harissa in a sort of one or two-(wo)men way like Ann Arbor's Clancy's Fancy hot sauce.
This recipe from Kitty Morse's (one of the goddesses of North African cooking) The Vegetarian Table: North Africa isn't particularily hot, but you can make it that way by using hotter chilies.
Harissa
6 to 8 dried New Mexico Chilies
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt (or kosher salt)
1 tsp Tabil (see below) or 1 tsp cumin
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
Seed chilies, cut into pices, and put them in a bowl. Pour hot water over them and saod until they turn quite soft. 15 minutes to 1 hour. (I've generally found 15-30 minutes to be enough.) Drain them and squeeze out the excess water. Place the chilies and all other ingredients in a food processor. Process to a paste.
To store: place in a small glass jar with a thin layer of olive oil over the top and seal tightly.
Tabil
Full version:
1/4 C ground coriander
1 Tbs ground caraway
1 1/2 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs New Mexico chili powder
One Teaspoon approximation:
1/2 tsp plus a good dash of coriander
1/8 tsp plus a dash ground caraway
between 1/8 and 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp plus a dash chili powder
Mix all spices and use immediately or store in air tight container.
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