Harissa Sauce
Submitted by Controlfreak8
Harissa sauce made with fresh or dried red chiles, garlic and a deeply aromatic Moroccan-style broth of chicken, chickpeas, saffron, cinnamon, orange peel and honey. A vivid North African accompaniment for couscous.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
3 hrsThis harissa sauce goes well beyond the paste-in-a-tube version most Americans know. It’s a proper Moroccan-style ladle of heat made by blending a chile-garlic paste with a spectacular two-hour aromatic broth, the kind of slow-simmered stock traditionally served alongside couscous.
The broth does almost all the flavor work. Chicken parts, an optional turkey neck and giblets, onions and butter cook down gently before saffron, turmeric, cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg, orange peel, ginger and honey all join the pot. Chickpeas, carrots, pumpkin and red bell peppers round it out into something closer to a Moroccan tagine-broth than a Western stock. Two hours of simmering reduces 3½ quarts of water to around 7 cups of intensely perfumed liquid.
For the sauce itself, fresh or dried hot red chiles get pounded into a paste with garlic and salt, then thinned with some of that aromatic broth. Adjust the ratio of paste to broth based on how much heat you want.
Chopped cilantro goes on at the end for a fresh, green counter to all that slow-cooked warmth.
Chef Tips
- Soak dried chiles in hot water for the full hour, shorter soaks leave them tough and hard to pound
- Wear gloves when handling fresh chiles, especially if you’re breaking them down by hand
- Skim fat diligently during the first simmer, unskimmed broth tastes greasy and flat
- Press firmly on the strained solids, this extracts another cup of intensely flavored liquid
- Serve the chile paste at the table so guests can stir in as much as they want
Variations
- Add a teaspoon of caraway seeds to the chile paste for a more Tunisian-style harissa
- Stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste for added depth and color
- Serve alongside couscous and meat for a proper Moroccan meal
Ingredients
Directions
If using the dried chiles, soak them in a cup of hot water for 1 hour, then drain.
Pound or mince the chiles, garlic and salt into a paste.
Mix all or some of this paste, according to the degree of hotness desired, with the broth, and serve hot, garnished with the cilantro.
Aromatic Broth: Put the chicken parts, turkey neck and giblets, butter, onions, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns and cloves into a heavy pan.
Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Before the mixture begins to brown, add the remaining ingredients (except chopped cilantro).
Cover and simmer for 1 hour, skimming off as much fat as possible.
Raise the heat to medium and let the broth cook, uncovered, for 1 hour.
The broth should reduce to about 7 cups during this time.
Season with salt and remove from heat.
Remove the pieces of chicken and discard.
Strain the broth through a large sieve set over a large bowl, pressing against the vegetables.
Set aside 3 cups broth to make the harissa sauce.
Serve the remainder, piping hot, garnished with cilantro.
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