Mediterranean
Good Food Everyday
From
Good Food Everyday
season
1
episode
7
Harissa for Spicy Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder
With
Gary Mehigan
North African chilli paste with roasted capsicum, cumin, caraway and fennel.
About this recipe
Roasted red capsicum pounded down with toasted cumin, caraway and ground fennel seed, then fresh and dried chillies for layered heat. A North African paste used as the rub for slow-cooked lamb, or thinned with oil for anything off the grill. Keeps in the fridge for weeks under a slick of olive oil.
Harissa is the foundational chilli paste of the North African Maghreb (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco) where it sits on the table at every meal in the same way ketchup does in an American diner. The Tunisian version (the most widely exported) leans hot and smoky; the Moroccan and Algerian versions tend gentler with more caraway and coriander.
The capsicum char-and-peel is the structural ingredient. Char the whole red capsicum over an open flame until the skin blackens completely, seal in a covered container to steam for ten minutes, peel and seed under cold water. The flesh underneath is sweet, smoky and silky, the foundation that all the other ingredients build on top of.
The two-chilli combination (fresh and dried) is the move. The fresh chillies bring a green, vegetal heat; the soaked dried chillies bring smoky depth and the brick-red colour. Toasted cumin and caraway provide the warm spice base; fennel rounds the corners. Pound it all in a mortar (or pulse in a food processor) into a coarse paste, then loosen with olive oil. Spoon onto eggs, rub into lamb, thin into a marinade for chicken, stir into a stew. The pantry workhorse that earns its jar.
Ingredients
- 1 Red Capsicum
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds, toasted & ground
- 1 teaspoon Caraway Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds, ground
- 2 long fresh Chillies, seeds removed
- 4 long dried Red Chillies, seeds removed, soaked for a few minutes in boiling water
- 1 clove Garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Tomato Paste
- 70 ml Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Method
1. Place the Red Capsicum over an open flame and char the skin on all sides until blackened and blistered. Approx 5-6 minutes. Place the Capsicum in a container and seal for 10 minutes to steam and loosen the skin, then peel, discarding the skin and seeds and set aside.
2. Dry roast the Cumin and Caraway seeds in a small frying pan over low heat until fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool, then use a mortar and pestle to grind them to a fine powder.
3. Drain the dried Chillies, reserving the soaking water and place into the Braun blender with the fresh Chilli, the Capsicum, roasted spices, Garlic, Paprika, Olive Oil and a pinch of Salt. Pulse for 30-40 seconds until nearly smooth but not quite. Add a little of the Chilli soaking liquid to loosen the paste if necessary.
Gary Mehigan
Gary Mehigan spent eleven seasons as a judge on MasterChef Australia before turning his attention to the road. He hosts Around the World on Two Plates and Good Food Everyday, cooking through markets and family kitchens from Spain to Sri Lanka. His own kitchen instinct sits in classical French technique with a forensic eye for produce.
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