North African Essentials: Harissa and Preserved Lemons

After the nausea inspired by the rather unprepossessing beche de mer yesterday, I decided I needed some international fodder that I *actually* find very tasty indeed.  So, for today's post I've concentrated on two particular ingredients that I can't get enough of - harissa, and preserved lemons.  These two ingredients are commonly associated with North African food, and also more broadly speaking, Middle Eastern cookery.

Harissa is, as you can see from the photo above, a vibrant red paste that originated in Tunisia and Algeria, I gather, but can also be found in Moroccan recipes.  Effectively, its a chili sauce comprised of hot chili types like serrano or piri piri.  Moroccan-style harissa is somewhat simpler than Tunisian, being primarily made of rehydrated chili.  The Tunisian variety is considered to be a more complex beast, blended with garlic and spices like cumin and coriander seed.

I found this recipe for making your own harissa from Artichoke to Za'atar: Modern Middle Eastern Food by Greg Malouf.

Use harissa as a marinade or a rub on meats like lamb.  Harissa can also be used to pep up soups or other sauces.I made this Moroccan meatball and couscous recipe, using harissa, recently and it went down a storm.

Preserved lemons are a big favourite of mine, as I have a desperate addiction to salty, sharp condiments (don't get me started on lime pickle).  They're found, too, in other international fayre like Indian and Cambodian cooking (never tried Cambodian food; one for the to do list).  Essentially, lemons - either whole, diced or quartered - are allowed to ferment at room temperature in a solution of lemon juice, water and salt.  The process, like all pickling, usually takes a couple of months.  Generally, its the skin that is considered the best part although the pulp can be used (apparently, its pretty good in a Bloody Mary - my favourite cocktail, so I must give it a go).

I'm a big fan of tagine, in which preserved lemons often make and appearance - here's a simple chicken and preserved lemon tagine recipe.

Preserved lemons are pretty easy to make.  Click here for a quick 'how to'.