by TasteFood
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A&M's Testing Notes:
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Expand1 teaspoon cumin seeds Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon coriander seeds Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds Ask a question about this ingredient
3 garlic cloves Ask a question about this ingredient
2-3 red jalapeno or serrano chiles, stemmed, chopped with seeds (the more you add, the hotter the harissa) Ask a question about this ingredient
2 large or 3 medium red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded, coarsely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
Extra-virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste Ask a question about this ingredient
1-2 tablespoon chopped cilantro or mint leaves (optional) Ask a question about this ingredient
Toast cumin, coriander and caraway seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until aromatic, 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar with pestle. Grind seeds to a fine powder.
Ask a question about this stepCombine ground seeds, garlic, chiles, red peppers and 1 tablespoon olive oil in bowl of food processor. Process, adding additional olive oil if necessary, for a thick sauce-like consistency. Add ground pepper and salt.
Ask a question about this stepLet harissa sit at least one hour and up to 24 hours before serving. (Refrigerate until use.) Before serving stir in chopped cilantro and/or mint, if using.
Ask a question about this stepI ran out of harissa recently and my spouse was insistent on having Moroccan food and I had no desire to make the drive to Williams-Sonoma, so I made this! Lovely. Not sure I will buy it again, thanks! The remainder is in the fridge looking forward to the next outing.
I could live on Harissa, but have never made it from scratch. Thanks for giving me the tools to do just that.
This is the kind of recipe on the site that separates the teachers from the students - happy to be your pupil ;)
Thanks, Cathy! It will be a perfect accompaniment to your merguez - which is on my must-make list!
Thank you so much for posting this. I make merguez (recipe on the site) and have experimented with many commercial harissas, and each time, wonder what it would take to make my own. I love the idea of caraway - never would have thought of that!
Leah is the author of The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook on seasonal Jewish cooking.
I just made my first batch of this today :) I'm letting it sit for at least 24 hours but my "tastes" from the spatula were awesome!!!