Should I make my own harrissa?

Presunto · February 1, 2019, 8:29am

Nice. I was just flipping through an old Australian lamb cookery book and there’s a recipe for harissa marinated lamb, like in your photo. Now that I’ve been to Morocco where harissa is used mostly as a condiment, I think we find more creative uses for it in the West and both are good

Sorry, the other way around. Grip meat with the bread and dip in the harissa.

Moroccans are big bread eaters, not couscous (which is served on fridays). Bread and olives are eaten 3 times a day. Bread is served alongside any savoury food and at every meal. As Moroccans don’t use cutlery so the bread is to mop up juices, liquid and grip meat with.

shrinkrap · February 1, 2019, 8:40am

“Phare du Cap Bon”.

Apparently I bought that brand on Amazon!

Harters · February 1, 2019, 10:05am

Phare du Cap Bon?

It’s the lighthouse at the end of Cape Bon, which is the Tunisian peninsula which juts out towards Sicily, maybe 150km away.

shrinkrap · February 2, 2019, 4:20am

Here’s the lamb shoulder.

Rooster · February 4, 2019, 1:26pm

Stunning! Your kitchen skills and curiosity rock my world😉

WeezieD · February 4, 2019, 9:44pm

I grew Tunisian baklouti peppers a few years ago just to make harissa and it blew any jar or tube I’ve ever tried out of the water. If you’re a gardener I highly recommend giving it a try- the plants were easy to grow and loaded with peppers all season long.

small_h · February 4, 2019, 9:48pm

Where’d you get the seeds? Sounds like something I’d like to try.

WeezieD · February 5, 2019, 12:25am

I got them in a trade with other pepper growers but I think Baker Creek has them.

small_h · February 5, 2019, 12:36am

Thanks! I did find them there, at $.16/seed. Which seems like a lot. Not in absolute terms, but compared to other seeds.

shrinkrap · February 5, 2019, 1:35am

Do you know what kind of pepper they are? Dave’s Garden says it’s an “annum”.
Not so helpful in this regard article from Saveur

WeezieD · February 5, 2019, 2:04am

Tunisian Baklouti

shrinkrap · February 5, 2019, 3:40am

Shhhh! I’m whispering because I am at a meeting.
I guess I meant what species.

This is a list of Capsicum cultivars belonging to the five major species of cultivated peppers (genus Capsicum): C. annuum, C. chinense, C. baccatum, C. frutescens, and C. pubescens. …

I’m asking because it takes chinesnses a long time to germinate and ripen, so for me, it’s already a bit late. Looks like this one is annum, which is easier. Perhaps this might be a discussion in the food gardening forum.

Mods?

shrinkrap · February 10, 2019, 5:48am

Finally made some harissa. I made the Bon Appetit recipe, which says it can be made a month ahead, while the Food and Wine recipe says one week.

Not seeing major differences in the recipe. One has caraway, the other doesn’t, and maybe the proportion of olive oil and lemon juice. And Bon App says pour oil over top.

It’s thicker than in Presuntos pictures, which I’m guessing is Morrocan.

shrinkrap · February 10, 2019, 6:03am

Is this Tunisian chile paste the new sriracha? Not yet, but it sure should be.

"Taking pride in their ample spice box and sophisticated blending of sweet and savory ingredients, Moroccans can be dismissive of harissa as a substitute for taste, even skill. While showing me how to hand-roll couscous grains some years ago, one women informed me that “Tunisians add harissa because of a lack of flavor and imagination.”

The recipe in this one says;
" MAKE AHEAD : The dried chiles for the harissa need to soak for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. The harissa needs to cure in the refrigerator for 1 day before serving; it can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 months"
After reading it, I added caraway to mine. I did not add rose petals or water. Also says to top with oil.

I topped with oil.

And…
Homade Tunisian Harrissa

And I bought “Laila Lalami’s The Moor’s Account, a historical fiction novel about the first slave in America, a Moroccan”.

shrinkrap · February 10, 2019, 7:13am