Harissa - what is it and what to do with it?

Harissa is something that rarely comes up in recipes so it’s not surprising that many people have never heard of it. If you are a lover of spicy things, you should give this a try.

What is it?

It's a chili pepper paste, basically. The main ingredients of which are roasted red peppers, Baklouti pepper, serrano peppers or other hot chili peppers, spices and herbs such as garlic paste, coriander seed, saffron, rose or caraway, as well as some olive oil for preservation. It is most often associated with Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian, Moroccan and Syrian cuisine.

The paste, as you can imagine, since it contains peppers, can be searing hot or just a little tingly; made tangy with lemon or vinegar, or smoky; it can be loose like a salsa or a thick chunky paste.

In other words, as with most condiments, recipes vary, depending on the region from which they come.

You can make your own by roasting peppers and blending with spices and olive oil, or just buy a jar, trying various ones until you find the one you like best. If you end up with one that’s a tad too spicy, you can always add yogurt to tone it down.  The acid acts as a great neutralizer for things spicy. Keep that in mind next time your mouth is on fire!

These are quite good.

So, harissa is versatile as a condiment, kind of like ketchup and sriracha and, like both of those, it’s great with eggs. It’s also good with poached salmon, or grilled chicken, lamb or beef kebabs.

You can smear it on a burger, mix it with aioli and use it as a dip, add a spoonful to some mayo for sandwiches or add it to Ranch as a salad dressing. Add some to the ground meat in your next meatloaf to kick it up a notch.

You can mix it with labne (a Persian cheese/yogurt) or puree it with crumbled feta cheese, fresh herbs, lemon and olive oil as a dip or spread. Olives work well with harissa’s briny heat and so the  dip in this link combines them with carrots to make a rich spread for celery sticks or pita bread, or perhaps on a sandwich.

If you like food with a little heat and you haven’t heard of harissa, I would give it a try.

Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken Kebobs

I have a thing for dry chicken - I hate it! Which is why I'm always looking for ways to keep it moist. I like to seal in moisture by baking chicken in a covered casserole dish, or wrapping it in foil before grilling it, or marinating it in yogurt. The acid from the dairy helps tenderize the meat, keeping it moist and juicy. I marinate the chicken all day long, but 4 hours is minimum.

Making kebobs is a great way to cook the chicken quickly, since you're grilling smaller chunks of it rather than a whole breast, so it's the perfect thing to make during the week when you're busy and short on time.

I like this recipe because it combines the fresh flavors of lemon, yogurt and chicken and makes for a light lunch or dinner. I’ve made it several times, serving it with green beans and maybe the occasional steamed potato (which I would roughly mash on my plate with butter and salt. The lazy way to "mashed potatoes"). The lemon yogurt sauce that's served with these kebobs is delicious over the potato and veggies, too. You could also make a little orzo salad to serve with it.

A glass of Chardonnay, Chablis or Viognier would be a nice accompaniment. To make it dinner-party worthy, I'd start off the meal with a mixed green salad and end it with a good quality lemon sorbet or some lemon or pistachio macaroons. Nothing too difficult or tedious to prepare, but would still make a lovely summertime/warm weather meal with friends of family.

Now, on to the recipe:

Marinated Chicken Kebobs with Lemon Pepper Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 3 lemons
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
3/4 Tbsp each fresh rosemary leaves and thyme leaves
6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into large cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
Bamboo skewers

Sauce:
2 cups yogurt (or you could use Greek yogurt and forego the sour cream)
4 Tbsp sour cream
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 tsp sald
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)

Directions:
1. For the kebobs: in a plastic bag, combine olive oil, lemon, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Add chicken, toss well to coat evenly, and refrigerate overnight.
2. For the sauce: combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. Remove chicken from marinade and season well with salt & pepper. Grill chicken for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and juices run clear when pricked with the end of a skewer. Thread cooked pieces of chicken onto each skewer and serve with the Lemon Pepper Yogurt Sauce.

Makes about 20 kebobs (serves 10).