Harissa paste

This is a take on the North African/Middle Eastern sauce. Delicious with stir fried vegetables and couscous.

Ingredients

1/2 an onion., roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic

1 red capsicum, deseeded and quartered

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp caraway seeds

3 to 7 dried chillies

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

2 tbsp tomato paste

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Olive oil

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 220C (no fan). Line a roasting pan with baking paper. Roast the onion, garlic and capsicum for about 15 mins until the edges begin to char. Remove from the oven to cool.

Meanwhile, dry toast the 3 kinds of seeds in a frying pan for 1 or 2 mins. Then place in a spice grinder/blender with the chillies and zap until powdered. Add the tomato paste, salt, paprika and lemon juice and zap to a smooth paste. Remove the paste into a separate bowl. No need to wash the grinder yet!

Remove the skin from the capsicum, then put the capsicum, onion and garlic into the grinder and zap to a smooth paste.

Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a frying pan then add the capsicum paste. Fry gently over a medium heat for 3 minutes or so, then add in the spice paste. Stir and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.

Store in a sterilized jar (jam jar). This paste will keep for 3 or 4 weeks in the fridge.