Black Olives With Red Pepper Harissa
These olives are addictive! They are good all alone, served with other appetizer-type foods and other dishes. Crusty bread dipped into the sauce and eaten with a good hearty soup is wonderful! I love using fresh bell peppers and hot cherry bomber chiles from my garden in this. The original recipe was found in the august '94 issue of gourmet. I have improvised on olives, due to what is not available in my area; as well as some adjustments to technique, thanks to charishma on toasting spices. Cook time is chilling, marinating time.
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.
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 o.
Ingredients
black olives, cumin seed, coriander seed, caraway seed, dried hot red chilies, garlic, salt, red bell pepper, olive oil