harissa with fresh roasted peppers and preserved lemon

Bright and briny with a subtle heat and just a little sweet this homemade harissa has what I want for a catch-all hot sauce and condiment for everything from eggs and sandwiches to party dip or pasta.

I spend my free fall time storing up for winter- pickling green tomatoes, plotting for thanksgiving, making hot sauce. Which hot sauce depends on which sort of peppers I can get my hands on. The mixed bags from my favorite produce vendor at the farmers market are perfect for my favorite kind of harissa.

homemade harissa with fresh roasted peppers and preserved lemon

based on the labels of my favorite store-bought harissas and this recipe from epicurious

makes about five cups

ingredients

• 1 T coriander seeds
• 1 T caraway seeds
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 4 large sweet red peppers
• 2 medium carrots, halved and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 6-8 medium hot red peppers of your choice- I used two cherry bombs, 3 red jalapeños, and 3 red serranos
• 1 medium tomato-halved
• 3-4 small preserved lemons cut into quarters
• 2 teaspoons of the brine from the preserved lemons or 1 teaspoon salt plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• approximately 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. If you wish you can brush all your veggies with oil before you roast or broil them- I think this makes the peppers a little easier to peel.
3. Put the carrots on a baking tray and roast while you are prepping the other ingredients, about ten minutes.
4. Cut the bell peppers in half, remove any pith and seeds and place skin side up on the baking tray along with the carrots and all the other ingredients except the olive oil. Broil on the top rack of the oven until the peppers are charred- flipping the smaller whole peppers about half way through.
5. When they are cool enough to touch remove the largest bits of blacked skin from the carrots.
6. Allow the peppers to cool- either on the tray or in a brown paper bag. Peel and roughly chop the bell peppers and then put on some gloves and peel and seed the hot peppers. Don’t worry if some bits of skin remain on the peppers- everything is going to get minced up any way.
7. Add the coriander, caraway and garlic to the bowl of a food processor along with the carrots and whir a few times to mince. Then add the lemons and their juice. Process a few more times and add everything but the olive oil. Process to desired consistency.
8. Divide into clean, sterile jars and top each jar with enough olive oil to completely cover the paste.
9. Will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

harissa with fresh roasted peppers and preserved lemon

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Gluten free, Snack

Cuisine Vegetarian

Ingredients

  

• 1 T coriander seeds
• 1 T caraway seeds
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 4 large sweet red peppers
• 2 medium carrots halved and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 6-8 medium hot red peppers of your choice- I used two cherry bombs 3 red jalapeños, and 3 red serranos
• 1 medium tomato-halved
• 3-4 small preserved lemons cut into quarters
• 2 teaspoons of the brine from the preserved lemons or 1 teaspoon salt plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• approximately 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400F
• If you wish you can brush all your veggies with oil before you roast or broil them- I think this makes the peppers a little easier to peel.
• Put the carrots on a baking tray and roast while you are prepping the other ingredients, about ten minutes.
• Cut the bell peppers in half, remove any pith and seeds and place skin side up on the baking tray along with the carrots and all the other ingredients except the olive oil. Broil on the top rack of the oven until the peppers are charred- flipping the smaller whole peppers about half way through.
• When they are cool enough to touch remove the largest bits of blacked skin from the carrots.
• Allow the peppers to cool- either on the tray or in a brown paper bag. Peel and roughly chop the bell peppers and then put on some gloves and peel and seed the hot peppers. Don’t worry if some bits of skin remain on the peppers- everything is going to get minced up any way.
• Add the coriander, caraway and garlic to the bowl of a food processor along with the carrots and whir a few times to mince. Then add the lemons and their juice. Process a few more times and add everything but the olive oil. Process to desired consistency.
• Divide into clean, sterile jars and top each jar with enough olive oil to completely cover the paste.
• Will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

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