Spice Essentials Homemade Harissa Paste Food

HARISSA PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove stems from chili peppers and cut them in half. Remove all or some of the seeds if you want a milder harissa.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add caraway, cumin, and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir so the spices won't burn.
• Toss chili peppers, spices, 1/4 cup olive oil, and garlic in a baking dish large enough to fit chili peppers in one layer.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chili peppers are very soft but not burned, about 1 hour. Stir a few times to ensure even cooking. Let cool.
• Transfer to a food processor and puree until paste-like but still a little chunky. Season with salt.
• Spoon into a sterilized glass jar and level the top. Add enough olive oil so the surface is covered and the harissa won't dry out. Seal and refrigerate.

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.

EASY HARISSA

Steps:

• Combine the spices in a small frying pan set over medium heat.
• Allow the spices to toast for a few minutes, giving the pan a shake regularly to prevent the spices from burning.
• The spices will become aromatic and start to pop. Remove from the heat. Grind with a pestle and mortar until fine.
• The easiest way to char peppers is over an open flame, like a gas hob. You can also do it under a hot broiler. Char the peppers until blackened all around then transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Allow to steam for 20 minutes then peel off the charred skin. De-seed the peppers and set aside.
• Combine the peppers, chillies, peeled garlic cloves, tomato paste, spices, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and blend.
• Adjust seasoning if necessary then transfer to a sealable jar or container.

SPICE ESSENTIALS: HOMEMADE HARISSA PASTE

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 3. Place the dried chilies into a large bowl, and cover with boiling water.
• 4. Let them sit for 30 - 40 minutes.
• 5. Chef's Tip: As you have already figured out, the chilies are the star of this recipe, so care should be taken to choose the right ones. I use a 50/50 blend of hatch, and ancho chilies; however, you could use hotter or milder chilies to suit your own creative tastes. It is totally up to you.
• 6. Place the caraway, coriander, and cumin seeds into a small pan over medium heat.
• 7. Shake the pan, so that the spices do not burn, and stop when they become fragrant, about 2 - 3 minutes.
• 8. Remove the spices from the pan, and place into a spice or coffee grinder.
• 9. Finely grind the spices.
• 10. Chef's Note: Toasting dry spices is called "blooming," and it greatly enhances the flavor notes of the individual spices.
• 11. Drain the chilies, and reserve the soaking liquid.
• 12. Stem and seed the chilies.
• 13. Add the chilies, dry spices, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, and the baked garlic to a blender or mini-prep.
• 14. Give the blender several 1-second pulses, until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
• 15. With the blender or mini-prep set to medium, slowly add the olive oil.
• 16. Chef's Note: If the resulting paste is thicker than desired, add a bit of the reserved soaking water, a teaspoon at a time, until the desired thickness is achieved. But, remember that this is primarily a paste, and not a sauce.
• 17. Stop and adjust the seasoning... Adding a bit more salt, if necessary.
• 18. Add to an air-tight container, and drizzle a bit more olive oil over the top.
• 19. Store in the fridge, tightly sealed, until ready to use.
• 20. PLATE/PRESENT
• 21. Use this versatile paste in soups, stews, or as a spread for a burger... Brush it on a piece of pan-fried fish. Add it to a batch of hummus, or mix some with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, and use it for dipping crusty bread. Enjoy.
• 22. Here is a really yummy recipe for a spicy wing dipping sauce: • 6 tablespoons sweet butter, unsalted • 6 tablespoons harissa sauce • 1 - 2 pinches cayenne pepper • 1/4 cup fresh clover honey Mix all the ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow to simmer for about 2 minutes, then cool... So yummy.
• 23. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

HARISSA PASTE

Steps:

• Put the coriander, caraway and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan and toast for 1 min. Grind in a pestle and mortar. Soak the guajillo chillies in warm water, then drain and remove the seeds (keep the soaking water). Put the spices and the soaked chillies into a blender with the halved red chillies, the garlic, coriander, lemon juice, olive oil and some salt. Add some chipotle paste to taste if you want a smoky flavour. Blend to a thick paste with a little soaking liquid. Put in a sterilised jar and pour over a little extra olive oil. Will keep chilled for up to two weeks.

EASY HARISSA RECIPE

Steps:

• Soak and prepare the dried chiles. Place the dried chiles in a heat-safe bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside for 30 minutes until the chiles are tender and re-hydrated. Drain the chiles and remove the stems and seeds.
• Combine chiles with the remaining ingredients. Transfer the chiles to the bowl of a large food processor fitted with a blade. Add the tomato paste, roasted red peppers, garlic, ground caraway seeds, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne (if using), and a large pinch of kosher salt. Add fresh lemon juice.
• Make the harissa paste. Run the food processor, and while it's running, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil from the top opening. Stop the processor to scrape down the sides and run again until you reach the desired paste-like texture. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking (remember that harissa paste will deepen in flavor as it sits in the fridge over the next day or two).
• Store. Transfer the harissa paste to a clean mason jar. Cover with a very thin layer of extra virgin olive oil, then cover the jar with its lid tightly and refrigerate.