Re: [CH] Harissa

Jonathan Smillie (jonathan.smillie@gmail.com)
Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:56:34 -0400 

Linda Hutchinson wrote:
> and now, a question....
>
> Why do all these recipes call for dried chilies?  They never ever mention 
> fresh.  for the first time, this year I have tons of habaneros, and many 
> other varieties.... my husband must be a great gardener since I am not able 
> to be on my feet other than starting the seeds.
>
> Could you not use fresh chilies in these recipes?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Linda
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Linda Hutchinson
> To: chile-heads@globalgarden.com
> Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 12:54 PM
> Subject: [CH] Harissa
>
>
>
> Courant.com
>
> Harissa, mon amour
>
> North Africa's favorite chile sauce is fiery, but also wonderfully nuanced.
> What's not to love?
>
> By Amy Scattergood
> Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
>
> This is an ode to harissa. It's replaced my ketchup, my salsa picante, even
> (gasp) my Louisiana hot sauce. I put it on everything. Well, not exactly
> everything, but the potent North African chile sauce goes into my bean soups
> and sandwiches, it spikes my aioli and tops my pizzas. I even take it on
> road trips, as a kind of food insurance, where it's done wonders for
> roadside hamburgers and omelets, even stadium Dodger dogs.
>
> I owe the invention of my favorite hot sauce to the spice traders who
> brought chiles back from the New World to Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. But
> these days our spice traders are on the Internet, where you can find a huge
> variety of harissas, from mild tomato-y tubes of it to breathtakingly hot
> versions to marquee mixes laced with rose petals. Although many of these are
> good, it's hard to beat the stuff I make myself. With terrific dried chiles
> readily available and the food processor a handy substitute for the
> traditional mortar and pestle, there's no reason to squeeze your harissa out
> of a tube either.
>
> Although you can make harissa out of virtually any dried chile that suits
> your personal heat index, most traditional harissas use chiles that are only
> about as hot as anchos or pasillas. Guajillo and New Mexico chiles,
> according to cookbook author Paula Wolfert, are the closest to the peppers
> of Nabeul and Gabès in Tunisia. Use one or both, or add a few chipotle
> chiles into the mix: The smokiness of the chipotles adds a terrific earthy
> note. Or, if you like more heat, add a generous handful of chiles de árbol
> or even some red-hot Thai chiles -- the flavors will mellow a bit, though
> not that much.
>
> Put the dried chiles into a bowl, cover with boiling water and allow them to
> soften for half an hour. Though many recipes call for warm or even tepid
> water, rehydrating chiles in boiling water softens up their papery skin and
> allows them to blend more easily, resulting in a smoother paste.
>
> While your chiles are softening, grind coriander and caraway seeds in a
> spice grinder or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, or use a
> mortar and pestle. This is worth the effort, as pre-ground spices, like
> pre-ground coffee, often have lost much of their flavor. After the chiles
> are rehydrated, seed and stem them; be sure to wear rubber or latex gloves,
> as the oils from the peppers can irritate your skin and remain, like
> incendiary fingerprints, on your hands.
>
> Then blend the chiles, spices, garlic and salt in a food processor with some
> olive oil and maybe a little water. Resist the urge to add too much oil;
> harissa, once finished, is stored with a layer of oil covering the top, so
> some of that will get mixed in over the course of its use. (Covered like
> this, it will keep for months in your refrigerator.)
>
> At this point, you have a fantastic harissa -- hot but not scorching, the
> flavors of the various chiles marrying with the garlic and the spices to
> create a sauce that has plenty of heat, but also a surprising complexity.
> Although it's ready to go at this point, the flavors will deepen and marry
> and mellow a bit in the process; for this reason, making your harissa a day
> before you want it, particularly if you're using very hot chiles, may be
> worthwhile.
>
> Harissas vary widely from region to region, so there isn't really a
> definitive recipe. The most basic, using just dried chiles, a few spices,
> garlic, salt and olive oil, is traditional -- but even this is open to
> debate.
>
> After you've made the basic harissa, you can also vary the flavor profile if
> you want -- adding cilantro and dried mint to the chile paste, as cookbook
> author and historian Claudia Roden suggests. Or freshly ground cumin, fresh
> chiles or onions, a dash of lemon juice -- even preserved lemon.
>
> Many cooks add tomatoes, either sun-dried and rehydrated or canned, or
> roasted red bell peppers to the mixture to further round out the potent
> flavors of the chiles. Try adding some of both, for a lovely, nuanced sauce
> that combines the rich, jammy notes of the tomatoes with the lighter, more
> floral register of the bell peppers.
>
> Harissa is both an ingredient and a condiment. Stir a spoonful or two into a
> couscous or tagine as it simmers, then thin some out with a little water so
> it has the consistency of a thick sauce, and serve it at the table for
> people to stir into their bowls. Use harissa to torque up a spaghetti sauce
> or a minestrone as it simmers, use it as a rub for fish to go on the grill,
> or thin it out and use as a marinade for chicken or lamb.
>
> As a condiment, just about anything goes. Harissa is a great sauce for roast
> chicken or grilled steak. Spread a thin layer on a roasted vegetable
> sandwich or an ahi tuna panini, or use it instead of ketchup on a
> coriander-laced lamb burger. Slather it on a taco. Thin it to the
> consistency of salsa verde or stir it into yogurt, and you've got a splendid
> dipping sauce for flatbreads or crudités. You can even use it to spice up
> mayonnaise.
>
> I'm thinking tonight I'll make a simple, kohl-black beluga lentil soup. A
> dollop of tart Greek yogurt, a few leaves of fresh cilantro, then I'll swirl
> in a spoonful of fiery red tomato-pepper harissa.
>
> That is all I know on earth, and all I need to know. Or eat.
>
> Basic harissa
>
> Total time: 40 minutes
> Servings: Makes 1 cup
>
> Note: You can grind the spices in a spice grinder, a coffee grinder or with
> a mortar and pestle.
>
> Ingredients
>
> 4 ounces dried chiles (equal amounts of New Mexico, guajillo and chipotle
> chiles)
> 5 cloves garlic, peeled
> 1 1/2 tsps. kosher salt
> 1 1/2 tsps. caraway seeds, freshly ground
> 1 1/2 tsps. coriander seeds, freshly ground
> 2 Tbsps. best-quality olive oil, plus extra for storage
>
> 1. Place the chiles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let rest
> until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain, then remove the seeds and stems
> from the chiles. Wear latex or rubber gloves when you do this to avoid
> irritating your skin.
>
> 2. Place the seeded and stemmed chiles into the bowl of a food processor
> with the garlic and pulse a couple of times. Add the salt, caraway and
> coriander. Process until smooth, pouring the olive oil into the feeding tube
> on top as you blend. Add a little water if necessary to achieve the right
> consistency: The harissa should be a thick paste. To store, top off with a
> thin layer of olive oil and refrigerate.
>
> Each serving: 37 calories; 1 grams protein; 4 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams
> fiber; 2 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 108 mg.
> sodium.
>
> Beluga lentil soup with tomato-pepper harissa
>
> Total time: 1 hour
> Servings: 8
>
> Note: If Beluga lentils are not available, French green lentils may be
> substituted.
>
> Ingredients
>
> 2 Tbsps. olive oil
> 1/2 cup finely diced carrots
> 1/2 cup finely diced onions
> 2 cloves garlic, minced
> 1 bouquet garni (leek greens, 2 thyme sprigs, 3 parsley stems, bay leaf, 6
> black peppercorns tied up in cheesecloth)
> 2 cups beluga lentils
> 6 to 7 cups chicken broth
> 1 tsp. lemon juice
> Salt and pepper
> 1/2 cup (or to taste) tomato-pepper harissa
> 1/2 cup (or to taste) Greek yogurt
> Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
>
> 1. In a large saucepan over low heat, cook the olive oil, carrots, onion and
> garlic until softened, about 10 minutes.
>
> 2. Add the bouquet garni, lentils and 6 cups chicken broth. Bring to a boil,
> lower the heat, cover and simmer on low until the lentils are soft, 35 to 45
> minutes. Check the soup periodically, adding additional chicken broth if
> necessary. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Check for
> seasoning and correct if necessary.
>
> 3. Ladle the soup into a soup plate or bowl, add a spoonful of harissa, a
> dollop of Greek yogurt and some cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.
>
> Each serving: 275 calories; 19 grams protein; 37 grams carbohydrates; 13
> grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 2 mg. cholesterol; 167 mg.
> sodium.
>
> Tomato-pepper harissa
>
> Total time: 25 minutes
> Servings: Makes slightly more than 1 cup
>
> Ingredients
>
> 3 sun-dried tomatoes, dry-packed
> 1 large red bell pepper
> 1 recipe basic harissa
>
> 1. In a small bowl, cover the sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water and
> allow to soften, about 15 minutes. Drain.
>
> 2. Roast the pepper over a flame or under a broiler until blackened on all
> sides. Place the pepper in a paper bag and let steam for 15 minutes, then
> remove the blackened skin, the veins and the seeds. Do not rinse under
> water.
>
> 3. In a food processor, combine the basic harissa with the tomatoes and
> one-half of the roasted red pepper (reserve the rest for another use),
> adding a few Tbsps. of water if needed to achieve the right consistency. The
> harissa should have the texture of thick paste. Cover with a thin layer of
> olive oil and refrigerate until needed.
>
> Each serving: 32 calories; 1 gram protein; 4 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams
> fiber; 2 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 93 mg. sodium.
> Copyright © 2008, The Los Angeles Times
>
>
>
>   
I suspect most of these recipes call for dried chiles (rehydrated or 
not) because they came from cultures where the only way (in the 
millennia before the development of refrigeration) of preserving fresh 
vegetables was to either pickle or dry them - and in a desert 
environment, which would you choose?