Tomato Pepper Harissa - Cooking Co-Op

Yield: Makes slightly more than 1 cup
Time: 25 minutes

A North Africa chile sauce, Harissa is both an ingredient and a condiment. Stir a spoonful or two into a couscous or tagine as it simmers, then thin some out with a little water so it has the consistency of a thick sauce, and serve it at the table for people to stir into their bowls. Use harissa to torque up a spaghetti sauce or a minestrone as it simmers, use it as a rub for fish to go on the grill, or thin it out and use as a marinade for chicken or lamb.

As a condiment, just about anything goes. Harissa is a great sauce for roast chicken or grilled steak. Spread a thin layer on a roasted vegetable sandwich or an ahi tuna panini, or use it instead of ketchup on a coriander-laced lamb burger. Slather it on a taco. Thin it to the consistency of salsa verde or stir it into yogurt, and you’ve got a splendid dipping sauce for flatbreads or crudités. You can even use it to spice up mayonnaise.

Ingredients

3 sun-dried tomatoes, dry-packed
1 large red bell pepper
1 recipe Basic Harissa

Directions

In a small bowl, cover the sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water and allow to soften, about 15 minutes. Drain.
Roast the pepper over a flame or under a broiler until blackened on all sides. Place the pepper in a paper bag and let steam for 15 minutes, then remove the blackened skin, the veins and the seeds. Do not rinse under water.
In a food processor, combine the basic harissa with the tomatoes and one-half of the roasted red pepper (reserve the rest for another use), adding a few tablespoons of water if needed to achieve the right consistency. The harissa should have the texture of thick paste. Cover with a thin layer of olive oil and refrigerate until needed.