Obsessions: Harissa

It’s Obsession time again! Last week was all about cool creamy goat cheese, but this week the frost has been creeping in and I’m all in for hot and fiery harissa. Harissa is a North African/Middle Eastern chilli paste, traditionally made with chillies (surprise) and a variety of spices. It’s HOT, but what wooed me was the undercurrent of garlic, spices and, in this version, cooling mint. I  loosely adapted the Harissa paste in The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook but dialled down the chilli factor by about 10, and varied the proportion of spices. Don’t worry, it’s still hot, hot, hot, but the underlying flavours are right there along with the heat. I keep taking it out of the fridge just to smell it. Sharp, spicy, earthy and uplifted by the mint, this harissa is by far more than the sum of its parts.

• Coat a few fillets of firm white fish (gurnard in this case) in flour, and fry til crispy and almost cooked through. Remove from pan, fry a chopped onion til soft, then stir in a scant teaspoon of harissa and a good gloop of tomato puree. Bring to simmer, return fish to the pan and cook for a few minutes until fish is cooked through. 
• Stir a half teaspoon of harissa with a tablespoon of lime juice, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a few finely sliced fresh mint leaves. Spoon over salmon fillets, marinate for half an hour and grill or pan fry. I’m sure this would be equally delicious with chicken, lamb or beef steak.
• Spread a very thin layer into a grilled vegetable and salad foccacia. Or just a salad sandwich.
• Spread an even thinner layer onto toasted sourdough bread, and top with a fried or poached egg.
• (Updated: tonight’s dinner) Fry a diced onion with a pinch of saffron and a 1/2 tsp harissa. Add lightly steamed cauliflower, al dente penne pasta, and a splash of water, and sauté until all is golden and lovely.