Tunisian Menu Recipe 2:Veggies with Harissa & Lemon Garlic Yogurt Sauce

My leftovers for lunch that were the inspiration for this series of posts

Kate, 
So now that you have made the harissa, you are going to want to use it.  I'm just learning how but I love it on eggs and veggies, especially cauliflower and carrots. The inspiration for this recipe is from the July/August edibleSEATTLE magazine and calls for grilling carrots.  I found grilling makes the carrots prettier but if you are in a hurry and or you live someplace where you aren't allowed to grill (like you do), roasting or broiling at a high temperature in your oven works just fine...and I think cauliflower is awesome - or how about a mixture of cauliflower and carrots...just cook them on separate baking sheets so that the cauliflower doesn't get over cooked.


Carrots (and/or Cauliflower)with Harissa & Lemon Garlic Yogurt 
serves 4 about 30 minutes to make

1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
zest and juice of  1/2 lemon 
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
salt
6 large organic carrots; quartered and cut into about 4 inch lengths
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon harissa

In a small bowl mix together the  yogurt, lemon zest, juice, garlic and salt to taste. Set aside.

In a bowl toss the carrots with the olive oil and season with salt.
Place the carrots on a baking sheet and roast in a 450 degree oven until tender crisp and starting to brown- about 10 minutes, turn the carrots at least once during cooking.

Transfer carrots to a bowl and mix in the harissa until the carrots are coated. Serve warm with the yogurt sauce on the side.  

 

Tunisia Menu Item 1: Harissa

Kate, 

Yesterday I had leftovers for lunch: short ribs, lemon couscous, roasted carrots, and flat bread. I wish I had taken a picture when the table was set and the serving dishes were piled high..but I didn't. Instead, while sitting at work enjoying this meal for the second time in two days I thought to snap this photo. 

LUNCH!

All the food was North African in origin, mostly from Tunisia. I can't describe the flavors: a sweet, savory, spicy, fruity combination that made the house smell amazing!

Since I enjoyed this meal so much I thought I would share the recipes for the entire menu with you over my next few posts. 

The first thing is the Harissa. It's THE condiment of Tunisia. You might be able to buy this but we (actually your father with help from your eldest while she was visiting last month) made this recipe by Deborah Madison.  This recipe is pretty mild but, as I understand it, this stuff can be pretty hot.  I read that Tunisian husbands believe their wives no longer love them when the food (flavored by Harissa) begins tasting bland.  Hum.  Don't think I'll comment on that! 

Use Harissa on scrambled eggs (oh my!) or some feta cheese, or mix it into roasted veggies (more on that in another post).  Your going to love it! Directions for making it in a food processor or by hand follow (I vote for the food processor!)

Our homemade Harissa on the embarrassingly crowded top shelf of our refrigerator

 Harissa

12 dried red new Mexican chiles

3 guajillo chiles 

4 plump garlic cloves coarsely chopped

salt

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 Tbl olive oil plus extra for storing

cayenne - optional

Wipe off the chiles with a damp cloth, break off the stems, shake out as many seeds as possible and pull out any large veins. WEAR GLOVES! Discard any gray or yellowed areas of the skin because they might taste moldy. Tear the chiles into pieces, put in bowl and cover with boiling water and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Remove from bowl (save the water) and snip into smaller pieces with scissors. 

In a food processor grind the chilies with the garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, caraway, coriander, cumin, and oil until a smooth paste forms. Add a little of the chile soaking water to loosen the mixture.  If you want more heat add cayenne to taste. 

You can also do this by hand with a mortar and pestle but it will take some work!  Make a paste by pounding the garlic and salt together, add the non chile ingredients and mix until you have a paste. Then add the chile that you snipped into small pieces with scissors and pound until the paste is as smooth as you can get it. 

Pack into a clean jar and cover the surface with more oil and refrigerate.  

Tunisan Carrot Salad



Tunisan Carrot Salad

As you know, I  love meat! I am a carnivore! I believe that the only way to eat protein is by consuming animals. At least that is what I used to think.
Lately, I've been reexamining my relationship with fruits and veggies and discovered I've missed out on a lot of exciting foods and food combinations. For example dinner yesterday was a zucchini gratin made with a homemade bechamel sauce and Tunisan carrots.

I have to admit cooking vegetarian is so new to me that I find myself going to the experts like Mark Bittman, Lorna Sass, and Deborah Madison.  I figure the more I can learn from these experts the better cook I will be...like cooking from Julia Child books to learn the basics of French cooking.

For diner today I made a zucchini and rice gratin with a side dish called Tunsian Carrot Salad.  Both recipes are from Deborah Madisons  book called Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. On another day I will tell you about Ms. Madison's bechamel sauce which is used to make the gratin.  It is infused with aromatics and herbs, creamy and so flavorful like none I have ever tasted. Today I want to tell you about the carrots.

They are so easy to make...boil some whole carrots in salted water until the are just tender but not soft, cut them into disks, mix with black olives and feta, toss in a vinegarette and sprinke with some herbs and more feta. Oh My!

Tunsian Carrot Salad
Serves 4-6

1 pound carrots
1 garlic clove minced
salt
2 teaspoons hot paprika or Harissa (Rod had made some Harissa the day before, so I used this yummy, new to me, flavoring)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice (I used the lemon for a more summery taste)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 cup crumbled or thinly sliced feta cheese
12 oil-cured black olives, pitted and diced.

Peel the whole carrots and then boil them in salted water until tender but not soft. Drain and cut into disks.

Smash the garlic with 1/4 tsp of salt and make into a paste.  In a bowl, combine, garlic, paprika or Harissa, vinegar (or lemon juice) parsely, and most the cheese and olives and toss with the carrots. Garnish with the remaining cheese and olives.