Recipe: Harissa- a North African Hot Chile Paste

I first tasted harissa as a junior high school student at my friend Lawrence's home. They were a family of Moroccan Jews living in my Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn neighborhood; though they went back to Morocco for Summers, holidays and special family events. Lawrence and I were young enough that we used to drop water balloons on people from his bedroom window. His room was filled with hangings that the family had brought from Morocco and his mom- a great cook who taught me this recipe- looked just like the actress Lainey Kazan. One of the few things I find hard to forgive my parents for was their not allowing me to go to Morocco for the Summer as my Bar Mitzvah gift from Lawrence and his family. I understand why they said, "No". It was 1967 and the Six Day War had ended that June on the day I was Bar Mitvah'd. But like many American Jews before the Intifada my parents had an unfounded belief, at that time, that ALL Arabs were against Jews and Israel. I met many an Arab, including Palestinians, when I lived in the Middle East during 1973 that did not feel that way at the time and was welcome in many a home as an honored guest. Yes, times have changed, but the enmity between Jews and Arabs has not always been as sever as it is now.

Coming from a family that included Hungarian Jews, spicy food was something I enjoyed. Harissa is used at my restaurant alone or as an ingredient in several sauces. You can adjust the flavor and heat to your taste via what type of dried red chile you us. I like either New Mexico or Gaujillo. I streamlined the recipe with the use of a food processor, but feel free to use a mortar and pestle.

• 1 oz dried red chiles, destemmed
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 Tbs garlic, minced
• 1 scant tsp kosher or sea salt
• 1 scant tsp cumin, ground
• 1 scant tsp coriander, ground
• scant 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Pour boiling water over the chiles and let steep for at least 2 hours. If need be put a plate or other object over the chile to keep them under the water.
2. Drain peppers and put into a food processor with all the other ingredients EXCEPT the oil. As the processor runs, slowly add the oil. The result will be a paste.

You can also reduce the heat of the harissa by shaking the seeds out of the chiles- personally I don't bother.
Next week I'll give you a barbeque sauce using harissa as one of its ingredients.

P.S.: I did get to taste harissa with some hashish added lo those many years ago, but I recommend not using trying so with the present War on Drugs. It added a nice flavor but it didn't get me high, though I don't think I could have eaten as much of it as I did without the hashish- the chiles were extremely hot and the hashish made the harissa tolerable.

P.P.S.: "Scant" means a drop less than, just below level, for those who don't cook much.