Harissa Paste

While not really a sauce, Harissa is a fantastic paste that can be added to the most common dishes and make into something completely new and exciting!  Adding a spoonful of harissa to a bolognaise is a fantastic example of elevating a tired old favourite to a new level!

Ingredients:

·         10-12 dried red chilies.  For hot use something like birds eye chili, of for a milder flavour maybe try a anaheim chili.  If you really like it hot, like I do, maybe throw a scotch bonnet in the mix!

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

While not really a sauce, Harissa is a fantastic paste that can be added to the most common dishes and make into something completely new and exciting!  Adding a spoonful of harissa to a bolognaise is a fantastic example of elevating a tired old favourite to a new level!

Ingredients:

·         10-12 dried red chilies.  For hot use something like birds eye chili, of for a milder flavour maybe try an Anaheim chili.  If you really like it hot, like I do, maybe throw a scotch bonnet in the mix!

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         1 teaspoon ground coriander

·         1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds

·         1/2 teaspoon cumin

Preparation:

1. Soak the dried chilies in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain. Remove stems and seeds.

2. In a food processor combine chili peppers, garlic, salt, and olive oil.

3. Add remaining spices and blend to form a smooth paste.

This will keep well in the fridge, a quick tip is to cover the surface with a layer of olive oil as this will last a lot longer.  I would suggest buying already dried chilies but if you are like me and want to do everything yourself, the easiest and most convenient way I found was, the next time you cook a roast etc once its finished turn the oven off and put some chilies in on a tray, then just leave the door ajar a little, after an hour or so (depending on the size etc) they will be dried and ready to go.  If it looks like they are not yet dry and the oven is losing heat, take them out and heat the oven back up, then turn off and repeat the process until they are dry enough for you!

This paste i find works best in tomato based recipes.  But experiment with it, im sure this one will be one you always go back too!

Ant