"I thought I knew my harissa after nearly two decades of making it from scratch. Then I tasted a spoonful of rich, wine-dark paste from an unmarked jar that arrived on my doorstep from brothers Mansour and Karim Arem. They were on the verge of launching Zwita, a company focused on celebrating their Tunisian heritage. Whereas western cooks and food writers are familiar with many of the food traditions of nearby Morocco, we've largely neglected to learn anything about Tunisia or its culinary history."
"And, judging by the Arem brothers' harissa, that's entirely to our detriment. Made with mild, sun-dried chillies, the traditional Tunisian version of this pepper paste is layered with garlic, caraway and coriander. Multidimensional in flavour and distinctly thick, it will be a revelation to anyone who has only ever encountered the stuff squeezed from a tube (or any other version similarly doctored with tomato products, hydrated chilli powder or fresh peppers)."
"Once I tasted their harissa, I began to incorporate it into my everyday cooking, stirring it into garlic and herb labneh and drizzling it over roast vegetables. One of my favourite ways to use it is as a rub or marinade for chicken. Every time I've made this for friends, there hasn't been a morsel left. Since I use mild harissa, even the most spice-averse kids lap up every sip of braising juice and eat every bite of chicken off the bone."
Zwita produces a traditional Tunisian harissa made from mild sun-dried chillies layered with garlic, caraway and coriander, resulting in a thick, multidimensional paste. The Tunisian version contrasts with tube-squeezed or tomato-doctored variants that use hydrated chilli powder or fresh peppers. The paste works as a versatile condiment: stirred into garlic-and-herb labneh, drizzled over roast vegetables, or used as a rub or marinade for chicken. Mild harissa yields flavorful braising juices that appeal even to spice-averse children. Serving the chicken with steamed couscous captures the braising juices. The recipe includes a tebil spice mix and a braised chicken method with overnight marination.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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