What to do with..... harissa
Fiona Smith
Harissa is a fiery red paste made from chillies, with a combination of garlic, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, paprika, salt and olive oil. Its flavour permeates much North African cuisine, especially that of Tunisia and Morocco. Now readily available in supermarkets, its affiliation with couscous is undeniable – but when you have exhausted your repertoire with this traditional accompaniment, what else can it be used for?
Tunisian relish is a delicious combination of harissa, chopped pickled lemon, crushed garlic and olive oil. The relish is also great with chopped tomatoes, coriander, mint, and green or black olives added.
Whisk 2 teaspoons of harissa into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar or 1 tablespoon each of lemon and orange juice, half a teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon honey, then whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil to make a tangy vinaigrette for salads.
Combine harissa to taste with puréed roasted red pepper to soften the flavour to make a fantastic barbecue accompaniment.
Stir harissa to taste through thick Greek yoghurt with some chopped parsley and red onion for an easy dip for crudités, flat breads and corn chips.
Toss harissa through grilled squid, prawns or scallops at the end of cooking.
Spread harissa thinly on triangles of pita bread, drizzle with olive oil and bake in oven until crisp to serve with dips such as hummus and baba ghanoush.
Harissa makes a wonderful accompaniment to the traditional North African brik (Tunisia), bourek (Algeria) or brioua (Morocco). These fried parcels are made with ouarka, a very thin wheat pastry. Filo pastry can be used, but I find spring roll wrappers give a crisper and more comparable result. You can fill the wrapper with any filling you like. Chicken, fish, crab, egg and lamb – flavoured with herbs and spices – are popular. These are shaped into spring roll-like cigars, triangles or gathered like large wontons and then shallow fried in oil for a few minutes until crispy.
Chilli olives: drain a jar of plain black or green olives. Combine them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of harissa, 2 fresh bay leaves and 1 teaspoon coriander seeds. Place back in the jar. Pour over olive oil to cover and store in a cool dark place or in the refrigerator for a week before serving.
Add harissa to your favourite meatball or spaghetti Bolognese recipe and serve over couscous for a North African alternative.
Added to stews, harissa will give extra bite and interest. Try it with the traditional North African tagines, or other stews that could benefit from a bit of spice.
Moroccan carrots
6 medium carrots (about 450g)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1-2 teaspoons harissa
juice of 1 lemon
large pinch of sugar
large pinch of salt
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
extra olive oil
Peel the carrots, bring to the boil whole in salted water and cook for about 10 minutes until tender. Drain, dry and slice into 5mm circles. In a dry pan, toast the cumin seeds for about 2 minutes until fragrant, and set aside. Heat olive oil in a pan over a low heat and slowly cook onion and garlic until soft, but not brown. Mix together the cooked onions and garlic, carrots and cumin with harissa, lemon juice, sugar and salt and chopped coriander leaves. Pack into a container and pour over extra olive oil to cover. Store in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 1 week before serving. Fabulous as part of a mezze course, alongside grilled or barbecued meats, fish and vegetables, or try it on bread. Serves 4-6. 
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