Black Olives With Harissa Recipes

Steps:

• In a colander rinse olives under cold water 1 minute and in a large bowl cover with cold water. Soak olives 4 hours to remove excess salt and drain well. To make the harissa: In a mortar with a pestle, an electric spice grinder, or a cleaned coffee grinder, grind seeds fine. If using mortar and pestle, add chiles, garlic, and salt and pound, to taste. If using a spice or coffee grinder, transfer seeds to a small food processor and add chiles, garlic, and salt. Grind mixture to a paste. Add pepper and oil and pound or puree to a coarse paste. In a large bowl stir together the harissa and olives and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight. Olives may be prepared 1 week ahead and kept chilled, covered. Serve olives at room temperature.
• Roasted Peppers: Using a long-handled fork, char peppers over an open flame or on a rack set over an electric burner, turning, until skins are blackened, 4 to 6 minutes. (Or to broil peppers on rack of a broiler pan under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from heat, turning every 5 minutes, 15 to 20 minutes, or until skins are blistered and charred.) Transfer peppers to a bowl and let stand, covered, until cool enough to handle. Keeping peppers whole, peel them, starting at blossom end. Cut off pepper tops and discard seeds and ribs.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• 2. Rub four ramekins with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Crack 1 egg into each dish. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• 3. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add another 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, black olives, and mint (save a little of the mint for garnish). Stir just until you smell the garlic but do not brown it. Add the harissa, tomatoes, and chicken stock. Cook for 2 minutes at just below a simmer.
• 4. Spoon the mixture evenly over the eggs. It is very important that you pour the sauce over the eggs right away while it is still hot, so that the egg whites cook before the yolks get hard. Scatter the feta evenly over the top. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and tent with foil (this will prevent the yolks from overcooking) and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your desired doneness. Remember, the eggs will continue to cook slightly due to the residual heat after they are removed from the oven.
• 5. While the eggs are baking, make sure the garbanzo beans are dry. Roughly chop.
• 6. In a separate medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garbanzo beans. Fry until golden and crispy, about 4 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the cumin seed and a pinch of salt. Transfer to a plate to cool.
• 7. Remove the ramekins from the oven and place each one on a plate lined with a damp napkin to prevent it from slipping. Divide the garbanzos over the top and garnish with a touch of the reserved sliced mint.

Steps:

• Season fish with salt and pepper.
• Dust with flour and fry in hot olive oil until golden brown on all sides.
• Transfer fish to a side dish. Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for a few minutes.
• Add tomato sauce, harissa, bay leaf and 1/2 cup water. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Add olives and fish fillets and continue cooking, uncovered, until the fish is tender and the sauce thick.
• Add lemon juice to taste. Discard the bay leaf.
• Serve, sprinkled with parsley.

Steps:

• Drain olives, rinse under running water, place in large bowl and cover with fresh water; soak 15 minutes for canned, 4 hours for oil-cured, to remove excess salt; drain, rinse again; drain well.
• Toast cumin, coriander and caraway seeds in a hot, dry skillet to release flavor and fragrance, being careful not to scorch or burn them. Cool.
• Grind the toasted seeds fine; if using a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to such purposes, add dried chiles here and continue to grind.
• If using electric appliances, transfer finely ground spices/dried chiles to a food processor or blender here; if using a mortar & pestle, continue with it.
• To ground spices, add garlic, salt, and fresh chiles, if using them; grind to a paste.
• Add red bell pepper and olive oil and pound or puree to a paste (your preference here, I like it rather fine); adding more oil, drop by drop, if desired for consistency.
• Taste and add a touch more salt, if necessary.
• In a large, nonreactive or non-stainable bowl, stir together olives and harissa; cover, chill and marinate at least 6 hours and up to a week before serving.
• For best flavor, bring olives in harissa to room temperature before serving.
• I have kept them up to 4 weeks (if they last that long!),well covered and chilled; with a layer of olive oil floated on top.