Stefan’s Harissa

We really, really love this harissa and it fits to almost everything. You can use it as a base when making curries or sauces, as a dip for crunchy vegetables, as a spread or sauce for our Lebanese Green Falafels and much more.

This recipe is actually based on a secret family recipe; so don’t tell anyone about this…! But it is simply too good to keep to ourselves, so here it is:

Ingredients:

20 dried chilli (medium strength)

4 tbsp. cumin seeds

3 tbsp. caraway

3 tbsp. coriander seeds

1 tbsp. fresh or dried rosemary

1 bundle of fresh mint

1 bundle of fresh coriander

200 g sun-dried tomatoes

4 tbsp. tomato paste (concentrate)

8 tsp. allspice

1 tbsp. anis seeds and/or fennel seeds

3 tbsp. brown suger

1 whole garlic (peeled)

10 cardamom capsules ( just the seeds)

2 cups of olive oil

2 tbsp. sea salt

Soak the chilli in water until soft. Fry the spices on a dry pan one by one (careful that they don’t burn!). Put everything in a food processor and grind to a pulp (but not for too long!).

Let it sit for a few hours before tasting. Add what needs to be added. Then put in a airtight glass container and cover with a few centimetres of olive oil. If you use a clean spoon every time you use it and keep it covered with a bit of olive oil it will stay fresh practically forever…

Eeeeenjoy!