Posts tagged harissa

Green Harissa & Cauliflower

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Green Harissa & Cauliflower

T

his surprising condiment needs little introduction.  A fridge of left over herbs and a quick google search led me to this ever so pleasing and fiery paste. Taken from one of my favourite food magazines ‘bon appetit‘ for which makes me wish I was American (there are not many things that make unpatriotic), this recipe needed no amendments.

Fiery, spicy, fresh and packed full of flavour. I can’t wait to devour this on cream cheese laden toast or add it to my next batch of guacamole.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2 jalapeños, sliced
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
  • Bunch fresh coriander
  • Bunch fresh flat leaf parsley
  • Juice from 1 large lemon
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  1. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a hot dry frying pan until fragrant and set aside.
  2. Add all the ingredients (except the oil) to a food processor and blend to a puree. With the motor running, add enough olive oil to get a nice loose but not too runny consistency. It should be thick like jam.
  3. Store in a jar in the fridge for a week or so. The options are endless…

Uses: Rub for fish, spread on toast with cream cheese, pimp out your guacomole, use in place of pesto for a spicy kick, stir into yoghurt to top soups, refried beans, roasted with vegetables….which leads me to my next point.

Roasted Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients (Serves 3-4 as a side dish)

  • 1 whole cauliflower, florets picked and chopped if large
  • 1 big sweet potato (add another if cooking for hungry guests), peeled and cubed into dice size
  • 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
  • Handful flaked almonds
  • 2 x little gem lettuces
  • 1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, flaked chilli
  • Juice 1/2 lemon
  • Green harissa
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Mix the chopped cauliflower, sweet potato and onion on a large flat baking tray.
  3. Sprinkle over the ground spices and drizzle with a good glug of sunflower oil. Season and stir to combine and coat everything well.
  4. Roast for about 20 – 30 mins or so in the oven until crisp and deliciously golden. Blast them at 220°C for 5 minutes at the end if you want them really crisp.
  5. While they are roasting, toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan until beginning to turn golden. Remove and set aside.
  6. Finely chop the little gem lettuce into thin shreds and scatter oven a large serving dish. Squeeze over the lemon juice. Add a few small spoonfuls of green harissa and mix the lettuce to coat in the paste.
  7. As soon as the vegetables are ready, remove from the oven arrange on top of the salad leaves.
  8. Scatter with the almonds. Finally, add small spoonfuls of green harissa across the roasted platter ensuring that each bite receives some spicy sauce! Serve with some lightly fried fish, or some tender chicken.

Harissa Chicken With Orange Herb Barley Salad

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Harissa Chicken With Orange Herb Barley Salad

Jess - Harissa Chicken4Jess - Harissa Chicken3

I

ts safe to say I’m a fan of Greece. The food, the weather, the glassy wakeboard inviting waters and the calming pace of life. I’ve even been partial to the odd Greek wine! I visit every year for my dose of Vitamin D and halloumi and to brush up on my water sports. But I’ll focus on the food for the time being. After experimenting with a unassuming pack of Odysea’s deliciously authentic Saganaki cheese last year it was time to venture into their range a bit more with my appreciation of Greece and the Med. Being the good natured Greek loving company that they are I arrived home one Friday evening after work to a box of delightful goodies to sample and experiment with!

And sample I did.

This recipe is adapted from a Bill Granger combination I once saw and with all the right flavours from Odysea (with the odd ‘forage in the pantry’ twist) it was the perfect foundation for my med inspired dish to help prolong the recent spring sun. The roasted oranges add a really unusual touch here along with the gentle spicing which are a perfect match with Odysea’s punchy, creamy and crumbly feta cheese. Heaps of mint, dill and lemon juice bring it all to life and sooth the post harissa spice! One to give a go on a sunny but still brisk Spring evening.

Serves 4

  • 2 small oranges
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp ‘Odysea Wild Thyme & Fragrant Honey’
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 200g pearl barely or spelt
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • 1 carrot grated
  • 200g ‘Odysea Greek Feta‘, crumbled in large chunks
  • Large handful mint leaves
  • Small handful dill, finely chopped
  • 2 small poussin (or 4 joints of chicken e.g. chicken legs, thighs etc)
  • 4-6 tbsp of ‘Odysea Harissa spread‘ or 2 tbsp harissa paste
  •  2 large garlic cloves
  • Salad to serve – I used a crisp mix of chicory, little gems and watercress dressed in some lemon and extra virgin olive oil (Odysea of course)
  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
  2. Marinade the poussin in the harissa, seasoning well and then add 1 pealed, gently crushed garlic clove to each cavity and set aside.Jess - Harissa Chicken5
  3. Slice the oranges thinly and place on a lined baking tray evenly spread. Grind the fennel, cumin and chilli flakes in a pestle and mortar and then add the honey and olive oil and mix well. Coat the oranges slices in the mixture.
  4. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, keeping an eye on them until they begin to caramelise and char. This time with vary depending on how juicy the oranges are. Leave to cool slightly.
  5. Cook the barely or spelt according to the packet instructions until tender then drain well and leave to cool to room temperature.
  6. Meanwhile, turn the oven down to 190°C and place the poussin on a lined baking tray. Bake for around 40 minutes until tender and the juices run clear. Set aside to rest while you finish the salad.
  7. Add the warm oranges slices to the drained grains.
  8. Stir in the juice of the lemon, plenty of salt and pepper and the chopped dill.
  9. Scatter in the crumbled feta, the grated carrot and stir to combine.
  10. Finally, roughly chop the mint at the last minute and add to the grains and stir.
  11. Loosen with a little more lemon or a splash of extra virgin olive oil if needed
  12. Carve your rested poussin in half and serve half each alongside the grain and green salad, scattered with extra mint if you like

NOTES: This would also be lovely with a side of warm pillowy flatbreads, dipped into a cleansing and fresh lime and coriander yoghurt or tzatziki.

For a wine match I would suggest a fresh Chenin Blanc or the slightly aromatic taste of  Viognier.

Jess - Harissa Chicken2

 

 

Harissa Salmon

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Harissa Salmon

This is a beautiful salmon recipe. Not just aesthetically but a taste bud teaser too. And not just for salmon….the first time I made this I used a lovely white sea bream fillet which also stands up to the harissa flavour well. Harissa is a lovely firey Tunisian paste made form red peppers, hot chillis and spices and has a natural affinity with rose from its neighbouring Moroccan friend. Salmon filliets rubbed in this spicy paste and cooled with a vibrant lime and turmeric yoghurt were a match made in North African Tunisian heaven.

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Serves 2

  • 2 salmon (or sea bream) fillets
  • 1 heaped tsp harissa paste
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 150g natural yoghurt
  • 1 lime, juice and zest
  • Small knob of fresh turmeric
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • Coriander to garnish
  • Rose petal to garish (optional)
  • Brown rice/couscous to serve
  1. Begin by marinading the salmon fillets. Mix together the cumin and harissa in a bowl and rub the salmon fillets in this paste all over. Season and set aside for a few hours in the fridge to infuse
  2. Meanwhile, make the yoghurt. Mix together the yoghurt, zest and ½ the juice of the lime and season. Grated in the turmeric root (careful it will stain your hands!) and finally stir in the ground turmeric.
  3. Season well and taste. Add more lime juice if you think it needs more zesty taste. Set aside
  4. When ready to cook your salmon, heat to over to 190°C.
  5. Heat a frying pan over a medium high heat and add 1tbsp oil.
  6. Fry the salmon, skin side down to crisp the skin for about 1-2 minutes. The harissa may catch and look burnt but this is ok. Turn to sear on the flesh side for a further minute to create a golden crust.
  7. Immediately transfer to the oven on a foil lined baking tray and cook for about 5 minutes depending on how thick your salmon is. Don’t be tempted to over cook this! Salmon will take no time at all in a hot oven and will carry on cooking when removed anyway.
  8. Serve the salmon on a generous spoonful of your creamy yoghurt. Top with a scattering of rose petals and chopped coriander alongside some rice or couscous.