Harissa
Harissa is a red, blended paste generally used as a dipping sauce. It’s similar to ketchup or sriracha and varies among different countries. This harissa recipe might look spicy because of its appearance, but I assure you it’s not. It’s just full of flavors! Harissa is one of my most requested recipes from friends, family, and colleagues. And it’s very easy to make!
This harissa recipe originated with the Minneapolis vegan restaurant, Fig+Farro. But it wasn’t originally part of the menu. There were huge cans of roasted red peppers sitting around in the basement, and each time I passed them I found myself wondering how we might put them to use. One day, we decided that we needed an extra dipping sauce for our Mediterranean Platter, which also contained hummus, pesto, olives, fresh vegetables and toasted pita bread. Out of necessity, I created this harissa recipe with roasted red peppers, herbs, garlic, nuts, some simple seasonings and olive oil. It smelled and tasted so good that we permanently made it part of our Mediterranean Platter.
Harissa is often sold in jars at supermarkets, but it’s easy enough to make fresh at home. We will be blending all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor. And that’s it! It really is that simple. This harissa will stay fresh for up to three weeks. I usually serve it with falafels, along with pesto, hummus, fresh veggie sticks and toasted pita bread. But it can be served as a spread with pretty much anything. You can add your choice of spice if you want to add heat to this dip.
I encourage you to share your experience in the comments below if you tried this recipe or made it differently. If you took a photo, please share with me on my instagram account ‘zesty_zahra’ and I will share your stories there. I am always happy to learn about people’s food choices and preferences!
Harissa
Ingredients
- 1 lb Roasted Red Bell Peppers jar or can
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Oregano
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 oz Fresh Parsley with stems, chopped
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ cup Almonds or Walnuts
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
Instructions
- Drain water out of a jar or can of roasted red peppers.
- Put everything – except olive oil – in a food processor and pulse it a few times. While continuing to pulse, drizzle in olive oil. Bring it to a chunky texture. (Avoid over-blending.)
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