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Housemade harissa is the hot new pantry essential

Amy Morton's Profile Photo Amy Morton
Owner
FOUND kitchen and lounge
Evanston

i love harissa having first discovered it in morocco years ago. we always had cous cous on our menu at mirador and will certainly have moroccan influenced dish(s) at FOUND and will certainly incorporate it. the spice level is perfectly balanced with the flavor.

Joncarl Lachman's Profile Photo Joncarl Lachman
Executive Chef/Owner
HB Home Bistro
Chicago, IL

Harissa has always been something i love...i came across it in my travels in the Medeterranean...We have used it with Braised Leeks, toasted almonds, creamy polenta with a drizzle of tarragon pesto ---besides being a delicious combination and a counterpoint to the richness of the dish...it is also super pretty...
while it is great to make something like harissa in house, i would said anyone would be hardpressed to make anything as good as what comes out of those little tin cans from Tunisia

Konstantinos Pitsillides's Profile Photo Konstantinos Pitsillides
Executive Chef/Owner
Kanella
Philadelphia, PA

Actually ,Harissa could be moroccon
Yes i do keep harissa in hand,and yes we do make it in the house.
I love the acidity in combination of the heat and the spicyness.I usually use it in the backround of either marinating fish or using it a s a dressing etc etc

Jared Van Camp's Profile Photo Jared Van Camp
Executive Chef
Old Town Social and NellcĂ´te
Chicago, IL

We've been using harissa for awhile now. We use it to season our duck wings. Our spicy duck wings are made with house made harissa and a cucumber mint raita.

Carey Savona's Profile Photo Carey Savona
Executive Chef
Heirloom Restaurant | The Study at Yale Hotel
Fairfield County, Connecticut

We make our own harissa in house and incorporate it into many things from our falafel, heirloom beans and creme fraiche, braised lamb shank and several other relish/vegetable combinations.

Paul Fehribach's Profile Photo Paul Fehribach
Executive Chef/Owner
Big Jones
Chicago, IL

We don't use any harissa, we stick with our Southern style hot sauces. I can, however, heartily endorse it as a delicious condiment.

Dan Smith's Profile Photo Dan Smith
Executive Chef/Owner
Hearty
Chicago, IL

We make our harissa in house. I like not only the heat but also the mix of flavors from the other spices. I like to mix it with Greek yogurt and serve it either as a dip or as a garnish on our spiced Moroccan lentil soup

Jimmy Bannos Jr.'s Profile Photo Jimmy Bannos Jr.
Executive Chef/Owner
The Purple Pig
Chicago, IL

We don't currently use harissa in our kitchen but I do love the taste.

Chris Pandel's Profile Photo Chris Pandel
Executive Chef
The Bristol
Chicago, IL

We always have a quart or so of house made harissa paste around. With the frequency of changes on our menu, staples like harissa paste find themselves very useful when developing dishes. We use it to marinade octopus before charring, in house made yogurt for a sauce for heartier meats and stews, or even a vinaigrette for oil poached tuna. I will say that it is one of my favorite condiments to have handy in the kitchen and it certainly sneaks into quite a few dishes around here.

Jill Barron's Profile Photo Jill Barron
Executive Chef/Owner
MANA food bar
Chicago, IL

i do make harissa occasionally for dishes. it is a great spicy condiment that packs a nice punch that goes with my ethnically inspired dishes. the roasted pepper sweetens up the sharp cumin and cayenne. i find it stirs well into soup, too.