spice essentials: homemade harissa paste

How To Make spice essentials: homemade harissa paste

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  Step 1
  PREP/PREPARE
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  Step 2
  Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
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  Step 3
  Place the dried chilies into a large bowl, and cover with boiling water.
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  Step 4
  Let them sit for 30 – 40 minutes.
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  Step 5
  Chef’s Tip: As you have already figured out, the chilies are the star of this recipe, so care should be taken to choose the right ones. I use a 50/50 blend of hatch, and ancho chilies; however, you could use hotter or milder chilies to suit your own creative tastes. It is totally up to you.
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  Step 6
  Place the caraway, coriander, and cumin seeds into a small pan over medium heat.
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  Step 7
  Shake the pan, so that the spices do not burn, and stop when they become fragrant, about 2 – 3 minutes.
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  Step 8
  Remove the spices from the pan, and place into a spice or coffee grinder.
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  Step 9
  Finely grind the spices.
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  Step 10
  Chef’s Note: Toasting dry spices is called “blooming,” and it greatly enhances the flavor notes of the individual spices.
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  Step 11
  Drain the chilies, and reserve the soaking liquid.
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  Step 12
  Stem and seed the chilies.
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  Step 13
  Add the chilies, dry spices, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, and the baked garlic to a blender or mini-prep.
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  Step 14
  Give the blender several 1-second pulses, until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
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  Step 15
  With the blender or mini-prep set to medium, slowly add the olive oil.
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  Step 16
  Chef’s Note: If the resulting paste is thicker than desired, add a bit of the reserved soaking water, a teaspoon at a time, until the desired thickness is achieved. But, remember that this is primarily a paste, and not a sauce.
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  Step 17
  Stop and adjust the seasoning… Adding a bit more salt, if necessary.
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  Step 18
  Add to an air-tight container, and drizzle a bit more olive oil over the top.
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  Step 19
  Store in the fridge, tightly sealed, until ready to use.
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  Step 20
  PLATE/PRESENT
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  Step 21
  Use this versatile paste in soups, stews, or as a spread for a burger… Brush it on a piece of pan-fried fish. Add it to a batch of hummus, or mix some with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, and use it for dipping crusty bread. Enjoy.
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  Step 22
  Here is a really yummy recipe for a spicy wing dipping sauce: • 6 tablespoons sweet butter, unsalted • 6 tablespoons harissa sauce • 1 – 2 pinches cayenne pepper • 1/4 cup fresh clover honey Mix all the ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow to simmer for about 2 minutes, then cool… So yummy.
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  Step 23
  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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