HARISSA OR HOT SAUCE prepared by my cooking class last week

Harissa is an excellent sauce for tagines of meat and poultry or meat and vegetable soups. In the food stalls in Marrakesh they serve it with different types of brochettes. Use it to add flavour to a sauce for couscous as well. A good Harissa should be thick with the consistency of a light mayonnaise. Serve it in a little side dish with a very small spoon.

For 1 cup of sauce:

2 cups of hot dri

ed red chili peppers
6 cloves of garlic
4 tab of coarse salt
6 tab of coriander seeds
4 tab of cumin seeds
8 tab of olive oil

1- Remove the stems from the dried red chili peppers and remove the seeds
Put red peppers in hot water until soft.
2- In the meantime pound garlic in martar with 1/2 the salt smooth. Remove from the mortar and reserve. Add drained red peppers to mortar and pound to a smooth paste with remaining coarse salt. Remove and add the pounded garlic.
3- Combine coriander and cumin seeds in mortar, add a little olive oil and pound until smooth. Combine this process adding more olive oil, until sauce is smooth and well blended.

The easier way: add all ingredients except olive oil in food processor then add olive oil slowly like a mayonnaise until smooth.
It will keep indefinitely in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.