recipes: harissa
I promised harissa recipes to 
laurashapiro, and here they are!
As far as I can tell -- though I am no expert and am fully prepared to be wrong about this -- harissa is rather like curry powder in that there are a bajillion different delicious recipes which have a few key things in common: chile peppers (ranging from mild to hot), garlic, cumin, coriander, oil, vinegar. Proportions and additional ingredients vary, but the basic flavor profile is pretty consistent.
I've posted two recipes that use harissa: Chicken with zucchini, harissa, and couscous, and Moroccan-style lentil soup with chicken, chickpeas, and harissa. I've made roasted mushrooms with harissa a few times: very tasty and an excellent (and easy) side dish. Also, when I have harissa on hand, it's the sort of thing I'm likely to dollop into the pan to turn an otherwise pedestrian saute of onions, potatoes, chickpeas, and canned tomatoes into something that looks and tastes like an actual recipe. Heh.
Quick and easy harissa
5 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs sweet paprika
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
Dump all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until combined. That's it. If you do have leftovers, put them in a clean half-pint glass container and refrigerate; they'll keep for a week or two.
Slightly more involved harissa
8 dried new mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded (about 1 1/2 oz.)
2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded (about 1/2 oz.)
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbs olive oil, plus more as needed
1 tsp kosher salt
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
1. Put chiles into a medium bowl, cover with boiling water, and let sit until softened, 20-30 minutes.
2. Heat caraway, coriander, and cumin in an 8" skillet over medium heat. Toast spices, swirling skillet constantly, until very fragrant, about 4 minutes.
3. Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid, and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with the spices, olive oil, salt, garlic, and vinegar. Purée, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the paste is very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add a bit of the chile soaking water if necessary to loosen the paste.
4. Taste for salt; add cayenne if you want more heat.
5. Transfer any leftovers to a clean half-pint glass container. Cover the surface with a thin film of olive oil. Refrigerate, topping off with more oil after each use. Harissa paste will keep for up to 3 weeks. (Alternatively, you can dollop it out by the tablespoon on waxed paper, freeze, and then seal the chunks of harissa in a zipper-lock freezer bag; it keeps pretty well for a couple of months.)
Originally posted at Dreamwidth || Read
comments on Dreamwidth
laurashapiro, and here they are!
As far as I can tell -- though I am no expert and am fully prepared to be wrong about this -- harissa is rather like curry powder in that there are a bajillion different delicious recipes which have a few key things in common: chile peppers (ranging from mild to hot), garlic, cumin, coriander, oil, vinegar. Proportions and additional ingredients vary, but the basic flavor profile is pretty consistent.
I've posted two recipes that use harissa: Chicken with zucchini, harissa, and couscous, and Moroccan-style lentil soup with chicken, chickpeas, and harissa. I've made roasted mushrooms with harissa a few times: very tasty and an excellent (and easy) side dish. Also, when I have harissa on hand, it's the sort of thing I'm likely to dollop into the pan to turn an otherwise pedestrian saute of onions, potatoes, chickpeas, and canned tomatoes into something that looks and tastes like an actual recipe. Heh.
Quick and easy harissa
5 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs sweet paprika
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
Dump all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until combined. That's it. If you do have leftovers, put them in a clean half-pint glass container and refrigerate; they'll keep for a week or two.
Slightly more involved harissa
8 dried new mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded (about 1 1/2 oz.)
2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded (about 1/2 oz.)
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbs olive oil, plus more as needed
1 tsp kosher salt
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
1. Put chiles into a medium bowl, cover with boiling water, and let sit until softened, 20-30 minutes.
2. Heat caraway, coriander, and cumin in an 8" skillet over medium heat. Toast spices, swirling skillet constantly, until very fragrant, about 4 minutes.
3. Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid, and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with the spices, olive oil, salt, garlic, and vinegar. Purée, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the paste is very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add a bit of the chile soaking water if necessary to loosen the paste.
4. Taste for salt; add cayenne if you want more heat.
5. Transfer any leftovers to a clean half-pint glass container. Cover the surface with a thin film of olive oil. Refrigerate, topping off with more oil after each use. Harissa paste will keep for up to 3 weeks. (Alternatively, you can dollop it out by the tablespoon on waxed paper, freeze, and then seal the chunks of harissa in a zipper-lock freezer bag; it keeps pretty well for a couple of months.)
Originally posted at Dreamwidth || Read
comments on Dreamwidth