Harissa, cure for when you can’t taste anything

I have spent the greater part of the last thirteen years working at home. I always had an open door policy so friends always dropped by around lunchtime or teatime. These visits were both a blessing and a downfall. Though it is always a pleasure to lunch with one’s friends, a deadline is a deadline. One Summer afternoon, long ago, friends dropped by for lunch. I was busy helping my then husband test recipes for his book and I didn’t want to make anything that would interfere with the recipe testing. Basic lunch, basic lunch… salad and eggs!

I walked out into the garden and gathered salad, leafy bitter greens, and herbs for a mixed salad. In the kitchen I set some eggs to boil. I was going through a harissa phase and decided to liven up the boiled eggs with a sauce of harissa, garlic, capers, and cilantro. Well, my impromptu lunch was a hit, everyone left properly satiated, smelling of garlic, and with clear sinuses. Since then this harissa sauce has become a year round favorite. I tend to make it more in the winter, when I am sick and have lost my appetite and can’t taste a thing. The heat, salt, and garlic waken the tastebuds, warm from the inside out, and really clear the passages.

Waken the Tastebuds Sauce

1. 1/4 cup harissa
2. one clove garlic, peeled
3. 1/4 cup capers
4. one cup chopped cilantro

• Place all ingredients in a food proccessor and coarsely grind
• This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days

This sauce is the perfect accompaniment for simply cooked foods. For example, a meal of lamb kebabs and couscous, boiled chicken and rice, a stuffing for a rolled pork loin,  and both soft and hard boiled eggs. But beware, it can be addictive!

Enjoy.