#dried chilis

[kendyllhillegas]

Taking a break from the Then/Now posts to share some recent editorial work -- these are Morita chilis for Milk Street Magazine.

[marquismongaga]

I love eating mushrooms, they taste like if soil knew you were hungry, they taste like if bugs were a plant, the taste like the comfort of knowing you will age

[simplyplated-blog]

Homemade Harissa

Harissa is a condiment from northern Africa made from spicy dried chiles, garlic, spices and olive oil. It's great spread on just about anything and it's a great addition to soups, stews, whatever you like. 

You can buy prepared Harissa from most places, but I've noticed the jars can cost upwards of $10. The ingredients that make up Harissa aren't that expensive, and making the paste is as easy as setting up your blender. So why not make it at home? 

All you need is a small bag of dried guajillo chiles, about 10-14 chilies, a few cloves of garlic, one lemon, and olive oil. A sprinkling of cumin and coriander is optional.

Deseed all of the dried chilies and set them in a big bowl. Pour enough boiling water to cover the chilies, cover with foil, and allow the chilies to rehydrate for about an hour.

          The chilies will brighten in color as they rehydrate. Once they are softened, pour out the water and wring the chilies out between a few sheets of paper towel. Sprinkle in the spices, add in some garlic cloves and just enough olive oil to loosen everything up. Load everything into a blender, use an immersion blender, or even a mortal and pestle and mix, mash or blend until it's a smooth paste. 

        Add in the juice of half a lemon and pour mixture into a jar. This will keep in your fridge for about two weeks. Make small batches at a time because a little bit goes along way. Top off the Harissa with a little bit of extra olive oil to keep it extra fresh. 

         Harissa plays nice with almost any kind of vegetable, meat, anything and everything! If it's something you typically add hot sauce to, it'll go great with the smoky, spicy taste of Harissa!