Harissa Hot Sauce

Harissa is the flavour of North Africa and in particularly Tunisia. It is characterised by the use of cumin which features a lot in the cuisine of the area. You can mix this with sausage meat or burgers to make a traditional style Mergez dish.

• 1 cup hot dried red chilli peppers (such as Chile de árbol)
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 10 cloves Garlic
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin
• 1/8 cup lemon juice

1. Cover the dried chillies with water in small saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit for about an hour.
3. Drain the chillies and place in blender or food processor with the salt and garlic. Purée the mixture and add the lemon juice, a little at a time. If the mixture is too dry, add additional lemon juice as necessary.
4. Pack the sauce into a clean sterilized jar and add just enough olive oil to cover. Screw lid onto jar and shake well, refrigerate. The sauce improves with time, mix well before using.