Oh Snap, What's That? [Vol. 2]

Harissa

I was walking down the international foods aisle at Central Market, looking for God knows what. Then, I spotted this guy:

Hello harissa.

I really can't remember where I had heard of it before. I checked my Mediterranean cookbook, and there was hardly a mention of it except for in a recipe that I never even considered making (raw turnip salad with harissa dressing). All I knew about it beforehand that it's some sort of spicy seasoning.

What is it really? Harissa is a hot chili sauce whose roots go back to North Africa, and is made up of chili peppers, tomatoes, and paprika. It's often used as a condiment, or to kick the spice up on other sauces, or as a marinade ingredient. The particular brand I bought, DEA, has a pretty prominent paprika taste to it, and a nice slow-building heat. Another observation about the can I bought, the company is based in Nîmes, France :)

After I tried tasting the harissa straight-up a couple of times, I realized where I might have had it before. Back when I was a grad student at Columbia, one of my favorite places to grab lunch was the Lebanese place on 113th/Broadway, Amir's Falafel. Seriously, my friend Wil and I would go there at least twice a week, their shawarma beef was like crack. But one of the things I liked most about the place was their hot sauce. It wasn't your typical Frank's or Tabasco, so heavy on the vinegar. It had a somewhat smoky chili and paprika flavor to it and delivered the heat, but it didn't add so much of an acidic bite that the standard American hot sauce has.

Actually one of my favorite things about Amir's Falafel is a memory of one time I had lunch there with Wil. The chalkboard at the front of the restaurant had some specials listed. I didn't pay the board much attention, I glanced at it as I walked to the counter and saw "Hummus". Wil pointed out that it was definitely written as "Homos." Awesome.

I did some searching to see what is a good way to use harissa in a meal, and I found a spicy North African-inspired chicken recipe. Check it out after the jump.

Recipe Source: http://www.ivillage.co.uk/food/tools/recipefinder/display_recipe/1,,5417,00.html

Recipe Result: I kind of overcooked the chicken breast, and the amount of cumin and coriander overpowered the harissa's paprika flavor. But otherwise interesting.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast.

- 1 tsp cumin seed

- 3/4 tsp ground coriander

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 large shallot, sliced thinly

- 1/2 cup white wine

- 1 or 2 Tbsp harissa (depending on how spicy you want it, I used 2)

- 1 cup chicken broth

- Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Rinse the chicken breast and pat dry, and slice it into thinner cutlets (easier to cook through). Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. In a dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds and coriander until fragrant (maybe 30-45 sec). Pour the spices into a mortar and pestle, let them cool, and then crush.

3. Bring the heat on your skillet to medium-high and heat the oil. Saute the chicken breast until all sides are golden-brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.

4. On medium heat, saute the shallots until they're soft. Add the white wine, the crushed spices, the harissa, and the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil.

5. Return the chicken to the pot simmer over medium heat, to let the liquid reduce a little and finish cooking the inside of the chicken.

For the wine, I tried to think of what would pair well with this kind of dish. I'm no master of pairings, but it's my understanding that spicy dishes like to go with the somewhat fruitier whites, like riesling and gewurtztraminer. But I wanted something more dry than sweet, so my liquor store clerk recommended a chenin blanc. Indaba 2008 Chenin Blanc from S. Africa: it was cheap ($8 or $9), it was tasty, and it worked great in the recipe.