Fiery Tunisian Harrisa Recipes

HARISSA (NORTH AFRICAN CHILI PASTE)

Steps:

• Put the dried chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them sit for 20 minutes. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and dry roast the caraway, coriander, and cumin seeds, frequently stirring them, until very fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Let them cool completely and then transfer them to a spice or coffee grinder (or mortar and pestle) and grind them to a fine powder.
• Next, drain and squeeze the chiles to release as much liquid as you can. Add them to a food processor along with the ground spices, olive oil, garlic, salt, and lemon juice. Process to a smooth paste. Add more olive oil if it's too dry. Transfer the paste to a glass jar and pour some extra olive oil on top, about 1/4 inch in depth. After each use, top it off with olive oil. Keep refrigerated. Will keep for about 3 weeks.Makes about 1 cup.

FIERY TUNISIAN HARRISA

Steps:

• Remove seeds and stems from chiles. Cover in boiling water and set aside for 20 minutes to plump and rehydrate.
• Meanwhile, preheat a small dry skillet over medium-high heat and toast cumin, coriander and caraway seeds for 2 to 3 minutes, until seeds are fragrant and begin to pop. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer seeds to a blender and grind them to a powder.
• Drain chiles and add to blender with garlic, olive oil and salt. Blend to a smooth paste. Cover and keep in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

HARISSA

Steps:

• If you want spicy harissa, include the chiles' seeds; if not, slit them open to remove and discard the seeds. Tear the chiles into large pieces and place them in a medium bowl. Carefully pour 4 cups boiling water over chiles and set aside until softened, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the coriander and cumin seeds in a small skillet and cook over medium heat, swirling the pan often, until the spices are fragrant and lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the spices into a blender, add the oil, salt, garlic and lemon juice, and puree until smooth. Drain the chiles, reserving 1 cup of the soaking liquid (discard remaining liquid). Add the chiles and reserved liquid to the blender and puree on high until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Season the harissa with pepper and transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

HARISSA

Steps:

• Wear rubber gloves to seed the chilies. Take the stems off and remove the seeds. Place in a bowl and cover with hot or boiling water. Place a small plate or a lid over the chilies to keep them submerged in the water. Soak for 1 hour, and drain.
• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic. When it is all chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down. Add the drained chilies, the spices and the salt. Process until everything is chopped. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Turn on again, and with the machine running add 2 tablespoons water and the olive oil. Process until the mixture is smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.
• Transfer the sauce to a jar. Wipe the inside edges of the jar with a paper towel, then pour on a film of olive oil to cover the harissa. Top with a lid and refrigerate. The harissa will keep for 6 weeks in the refrigerator if you top it up with olive oil after each use.

SPICY HARISSA PULL-APART BREAD

Steps:

• Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with the butter.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl well. Add the harissa, parsley, lemon zest, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper and mix until well combined.
• On a lightly floured surface, unroll the pizza dough and press both pieces together to form one large piece of dough. With a rolling pin, roll out to 1/4 inch thick. You should end up with a 16-by-16-inch square.
• Dollop the harissa mixture all over the dough and spread into an even layer. Cut the dough into four 4-inch-wide strips, then cut crosswise to create sixteen 4-by-4-inch squares. Working one at a time, fold a piece of dough in half. Place the rounded/folded side in the base of the pan, with the filling side facing up. Continue to fold and place dough in the pan until the pan is full.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, 45 to 60 minutes. Towards the end of rise time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water to combine. Gently brush the egg wash over the surface of the dough and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.
• Bake until the bread is golden brown and the thickest part of the dough registers 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the outside edge to loosen the bread, then remove it from the pan. Serve warm.

TUNISIAN HARISSA

Steps:

• Cut off the tops of the dried red peppers, and deseed them.
• Soften them in a bowl of water for a half hour, then put them in a colander to drain them a bit.
• Take the skins off the garlic.
• Put them in a blender, add the red peppers, the salt, caraway, coriander, and 1 teaspoon of water.
• Also, add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Blend this until it is like a paste.
• Add olive oil to taste.
• The oil will lessen somewhat the intensity of the spice.

TUNISIAN HARISSA

Steps:

• Remove the stems and seeds from the chile peppers. Soak in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain. Place the peppers, garlic, caraway, coriander, and salt in a mortar; pound with a pestle until smooth. Place harissa in a jar, and cover the top with a little oil to maintain freshness. Store in the refrigerator.