Harissa, the fiery, flavorful Moroccan red pepper sauce adds delicious heat and smokiness to food. It is essential to North African cuisine. Also a good addition to many Middle Eastern (and Israeli) dishes. Last night, BSK made good use of harissa in a sumptuous meal of juicy, baked skinless and boneless chicken thighs (loosely based on the NY Times Melissa Clark recipe). The chicken was slathered in a marinade of harissa, olive oil, lemon zest, cumin and turmeric. Sliced potatoes and onions were added to the sheet pan. Went into the oven and later in the cooking was topped with plump scallions. Before serving, baby spinach was steamed on top. For a side-dish, HG made a bowl of Greek yogurt mixed with fresh chopped dill, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Heat-loving HG added a big dollop of harissa to HG’s plate. Because of BSK’s magic with timing, the chicken was done perfectly (super juicy and tender). The vegetables retained their integrity. Harissa heaven, indeed.
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