Harissa Paste

Name: Harissa Paste
Yield: makes about 3/4 cup
Ingredients: 9 ounces tomatoes; 2 ounces hot chiles; 2 fat garlic cloves; 2 ounces shallots; 1 teaspoon caraway seeds; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup olive or hempseed oil

January 24, 2012

Season: July to September: Harissa is a North African ingredient used to enhance many fish and meat dishes, as well as couscous and soups. I also like to use my version to make a fruity, fiery dipping sauce (see below) to serve with pork, fish, or prawns. The strength of the paste depends on the variety and quantity of chiles used. The chances are that this recipe, which I would describe as moderately hot, will merely tickle the palate of out-and-out chile freaks. But all you need do to make it more fiery is increase the amount of chiles, include more of their seeds (see below), or perhaps add one or two very hot little dried chiles.

Recipe notes

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