I have found the most amazing spice combination ever – harissa, thanks to my new favorite chef, Heidi Swanson, and her cookbook Supernatural Everyday. Spicy raw garlic, tangy lemon, and spicy-smoky powder – so delicious!

Harissa is a Tunisian hot sauce that is often added to couscous, soups, and stews. It can be used as a rub on fish or meats and added to mayo. I buy the harissa as powder from a local store, Central Market, which has a huge bulk section. I would imagine you might be able to find it at Whole Foods, PCC or other stores that carry specialty foods, and it usually comes as a paste. This sauce is so easy to make and I use it to dress refrigerated ravioli like these from Costco – add some feta cheese to tone down the spiciness and toasted pine nuts if I have them, and it is so amazing.

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Harissa “Dressing”

  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1-2 tbsp harissa powder or paste
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix together garlic, lemon juice and harissa, then whisk in olive oil.

I’m not going to lie — it’s spicy. I would err on the side of 1 Tbsp if you’re worried (which will still have a big kick). It is possible to make harissa from scratch if you can’t find it in a store, and you could easily add less chile peppers or none at all. Most recipes involve making the actual paste with a roasted red pepper, the garlic and the lemon, which can apparently keep in the refrigerator for 2 months, but I’m going to give you a list of the spices to keep as a powder because I think it’s easy to keep in the cupboard. Toasting the chiles and seeds is an extra step, but worth it for the deeper flavor.

Harissa Powder

  • 4 smoked chile peppers (ie ancho or chipotle) or 1 Tbsp smoke paprika and 4 dried gaujillo chiles
  • 4 dried red chile peppers, such as New Mexico or cascabel
  • 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 Tbsp Hungarian Paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tsp. dried mint leaves (optional)

Remove seeds and stems from chiles (it’s a good idea to wear gloves or your fingertips will be painful for a few days). Heat a dry skillet on medium-high. Cut chiles into strips and toast on pan for a few minutes, stirring constantly, being careful not to burn them. Transfer to dish. Toast cumin, coriander and caraway seeds for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly until seeds are fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Transfer chiles and seeds to a spice grinder and grind them to a powder. Add dried mint (optional) and salt and store in an airtight container.

The easiest way would be to buy really fresh dried chile flakes (so many in the stores are old and stale, find a good source like this World Spice near Pike Place which ships the freshest spices nationwide for less than what I would pay for parking and the toll bridge) and use ground cumin and coriander. Actually – they even sell a harissa blend, and all their spice blends are fresh and fantastic.

I used this harissa/lemon/garlic/olive oil blend last week with skillet chicken, tomatoes, and zucchini served over amaranth and topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. Baby Winter eats it, but she’s into spicy!

Do you have any favorite spices or spice blends (spice doesn’t have to mean spicy)?