I had a job in a kitchen in Glebe when I was eighteen years old. I started as a waiter, worked my way up to barista, then across into desserts and finally into the kitchen proper, where I worked with two wonderful, imaginative and hilarious chefs, John Svinos and Virginia Seymour. Some of the things I made regularly in that kitchen have never left me. One of them was harissa. This isn’t the Rose Blues Café recipe, but it’s an echo. In Glebe, in the mid-nineties, we spread that harissa on trendy new focaccia, topped with sour cream and chicken with garlic cooked in white wine.
I’ve loved harissa ever since and try to always have a jar handy, in case I ever come across focaccia. It’s great smeared on a salad sandwich, added to a stew or casserole for a hearty chilli kick, or add a teaspoon to mayonnaise to make a fab chilli mayo.
Makes 220g (8 oz/1 cup).
Ingredients 7
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp cumin seeds, whole
1 tbsp ground coriander
150 g long red chillies, deseeded, chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra if needed
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Method 3
Put the , , , , and in a food processor and blend to a paste.
With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the until it’s as smooth as you can get it. Add extra oil if needed but don’t let it get too runny.
Store in the fridge with a layer of on top for up to 2 months.
