Harissa Sauce

Heat from chile's

Anchos: The basic, dense, fruity but mild heat. Ideal for Sauces
Guajillos: Light and hot, super fruity. Nice for sauces but not a lot of density. You can substitute 2 anchos to 1 guajillo.
De Arbol: Very hot. Mostly for salsas. (Can substitute with red pepper flakes which are primarily cayenne chiles. Use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon would be equal to about 1 whole arbol chile.)
Cascabel: No real heat but great nutty flavor. Mostly used for salsas. (You could also use cayenne, but you will need less because cayennes are hotter.)

What you need

2 whole roasted red peppers seeds removed
2 dried ancho chilies
1 dried chile de arbol*
2 chipotle chiles in adobo
1 cup boiling water
1 clove garlic peeled + smashed
Juice of half a lemon
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place the dried chiles in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over top the chiles. Let sit for 20 to 30 minutes until the chiles are softened. Reserve chile water.
  2. Once chiles are softened, cut top off the chiles and remove the seeds from inside. Add to the bowl of a food processor or blender, along with the chipotle chiles in adobo, garlic and lemon juice.
  3. Purée, slowly pouring in the olive oil to thicken the sauce. If desired add 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved chile water to thin the sauce a bit (I did not do this). Season to taste with salt and extra lemon juice.

The Harissa will keep refrigerated for a few weeks.

To roast your own red peppers you can either broil them in the oven or place them directly on a gas top burner and char all sides of the pepper. Once all sides are charred remove the pepper from the broiler or stove top and place in a bowl and cover. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, remove and peel the charred parts away. Slice and use.

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