Moroccan Harissa

I am getting a good crop of jalapeño peppers this year, along with banana peppers and tomatoes. I was looking for a hot sauce recipe to preserve them all. I looked through the Ball book: Complete Book of Home Preserving to find a recipe. (This is a must have book for home canners.) The recipe for harissa looked really tasty and easy to make, so I gave it a try. It is really good. Even my grandchildren liked it with a chicken and rice dish. 

Harissa is a Moroccan condiment eaten with tangine or couscous dishes. You will even enjoy it on a sandwich to spice it up, or I even thought of using it as the sauce on a pizza with chicken or eggplant and  feta cheese for toppings. It will be as hot as the peppers you use. I used a combination of those in my garden and some Anaheim peppers my friend Lisa gave me. It turned out spicey hot, but not fiery.

The original recipe used dried peppers, but my version uses fresh. Use any combination you have on hand, about 25 hot peppers plus a couple of small bell peppers if you have them. It is always wise to wear rubber gloves when cutting hot peppers. Makes 7 small jelly jars of sauce.

Be brave and try something new and exotic! Keep life SPICEY!

Harissa

15 jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut into circles

4 banana peppers, seeded and cut into circles

6 Anaheim peppers, seeded and cut into circles

2 small bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

5 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup cider vinegar

2 1/2 tsp cumin

11/4 tsp. ground coriander

4 Tbsp. chopped garlic

1Tbsp. salt

1. In a glass or stainless steel bowl, cover the chopped peppers with warm water for 20 minutes. Lay a plate on top to keep them all submerged. Then drain.

2. In a large stainless steel sauce pan, combine the tomatoes, onions, sugar, vinegar, cumin and coriander. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently about 25 minutes, or until the consistency of thin ketchup.

Add the drained peppers, garlic and salt for the last five minutes of cooking.

3. Wash and sterilize your jars and lids for canning. ( www.freshpreserving.com/home Use this reference for canning instruction if you are new to canning.)

4. Transfer the sauce and peppers, a few cups at a time, to your food processor. Process until a smooth paste is formed. Pour into a glass or stainless steel bowl until all is processed, then stir around to evenly distribute ingredients. (Be careful with hot sauce in the processor. Do not fill too full or let steam push off the lid. The vapor from hot peppers can be very strong, so do not inhale deeply over the mixture)

5. Ladle hot paste into prepared, hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe off rims, set canning lids on and rings. Hand tighten to fingertip tight.

6. Place jars in a canner or water bath, being sure to cover the tops of the jars with at least  1/2 inch of water. Bring to a boil with the lid of the canner on. Boil for 10 minutes. Then remove the canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, label and store.