Harissa: A hot Middle Eastern Salsa

Harissa: A hot Middle Eastern Salsa

To create 250ml you’ll need:

1 red pepper cut in half, de-stemmed and de-seeded

2 tomatoes

3-4 fresh red or rehydrated dried chillies

1 red onion

7 garlic cloves

150ml of olive oil

3 tsp of coriander seeds

3 tsp of cumin

1 tsp of fennel seeds

1tbsp of red wine vinegar

A large handful of mint and coriander

We need to preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius/390 degrees F/ gas 6

Put the red pepper, tomatoes, red onion, garlic and chillies in a bowl. Season them well with black pepper and salt before placing them in a tray which goes in the oven. Roast them in the till they look charred and begin to soften, this usually takes approximately 45 minutes.

During the roasting, place a dry frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, but not too hot, add the spices and roast and stir them for a few minutes to release their fragrance. Then use a spice grinder to turn them into powder. Once the vegetables have cooked and cooled down, sprinkle the spices onto them and them mix them with the oil and vinegar. Once blended to perfection, put your Harissa sauce in a jar and store it in the fridge. If you are short for time, we at Brighton Chilli Shop stock a brilliant Harissa Sauce by Chilli Pepper Pete.