Among the simplest and most useful all-purpose chile pastes—terrific as a condiment for grilled food, and useful by the spoonful in braised dishes—this one can be made with nothing more than dried chiles (the standard red ones, inexpensive and readily available at any Asian market, are fine), garlic, and olive oil. A bit of cumin or Tabil is a nice addition. However—and this is a big however—harissa need not be fiery; it can be made with relatively mild chiles, like New Mexico or ancho chiles. Furthermore, whether you need the chiles or not is up to you; even if you use “mild” chiles, the sauce will be fairly hot if you do not. Obviously, some experimenting may be necessary to find your tolerance level. I have eaten harissa in many different forms, and this recipe is my choice. Harissa keeps for at least a week or two, refrigerated. It will lose a bit of intensity over time, but this is not necessarily a bad thing; some would call it mellowing.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1/2 cup

　　6 to 12 dried chiles, preferably New Mexico or ancho

　　4 garlic cloves, peeled

　　1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　1 teaspoon ground cumin or Tabil (page 597)

　　1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

　　

Step 1

Soak the chiles in hot water until they soften, about 15 minutes; drain. Remove the stems and, if you like, the seeds. Put in a food processor with the garlic, olive oil, and cumin. Pulse the machine on and off, scraping down the sides if necessary, until the mixture forms a coarse paste.

　　

Step 2

Taste and add salt as necessary. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.