
Roasted Red Pepper Harissa
Serves: 12
Prep time: 15 minutes | Ready Time: 20 minutes
This roasted red pepper sauce is a delicious rift on the traditional harissa, which is a fiery chili pepper paste that originated in northern Africa. This vibrant sauce is delicious on chicken, fish, lamb, shrimp, soups and stews. It also spruces up vegetable dishes with chickpeas and couscous. Trust us. You want it hanging out in your refrig! Oh, and if you roast your own peppers for this dish, it pops up the FLAVA significantly. Just sayin’!
Ingredients:
1½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1½ tsp whole coriander seeds
One 16-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry (1¾ C roasted red peppers)
3 Tbsp good quality olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp maple syrup
1½ tsp finely chopped or pressed garlic
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp red chili flakes, plus more to taste
Shopping List:
whole cumin seeds
whole coriander seeds
One 16-ounce jar roasted red peppers
Olive oil
One bunch cilantro
1 lemon
maple syrup
garlic
red chili flakes
Directions:
Heat a small skillet over medium heat and dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds, frequently stirring them, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. (Be careful not to over roast the cumin and coriander seeds, to avoid a bitter taste.)
Let them cool completely and transfer to a spice or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder.
In a food processor, combine the red peppers, spice mixture, olive oil, cilantro, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and red chili flakes. Blend thoroughly. Add more chili flake if desired. Store in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The harissa lasts 2 weeks, refrigerated.
Yield: 11/2 cups (2 Tbsp per serving)