Harissa
You can make harissa fairly mild or as hot as you like, depending on the type of chillies you choose – and how many. Serve it on the side, to add to soups, stews and tagines, or use as an ingredient in cooking. Suitable for vegans.
Method
Preheat the oven to 125C/105C Fan/Gas ½. Line a roasting tray with baking paper.
Put the red peppers on the roasting tray, skin-side upwards, and add the chillies and garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast for 1 hour, until the peppers look a bit wrinkled. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Once the peppers, chillies and garlic are cool enough to handle, chop them as finely as you can or blitz them in a food processor.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over a medium–low heat and add the pepper mixture, cumin, coriander and salt. Cook gently for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid from the peppers has evaporated and the mixture is quite dry. Taste and add a little more salt if needed.
When the harissa is ready, transfer it to a sterilised jar, leaving a little space at the top of the jar. Pour in olive oil to cover the harissa (the oil acts as a preservative).
Seal the jar and store in the fridge for up to a month.
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