Steel-Cut Oatmeal

I've posted recipes for both baked and stove-top steel-cut oatmeal before. It's been a while though and I've tweaked some of the recipes. I figured it'd probably be good to write an updated post and try to collect all the various flavours and variations in one place.

Peaches and Cream Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 1 (3") cinnamon stick
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. milk
• 1/4 c. vanilla sugar + a few empty vanilla pods
• 1 c. diced peaches

Directions

1. Melt the butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add the oats and cinnamon and toast for a few minutes.
3. Add water and milk and bring to a boil.
4. Stir in sugar, vanilla pods, and peaches.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until desired consistency. (It will thicken slightly as it cools.)
6. Serve topped with peach jam and heavy cream.

Cherry-Almond Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. slivered almonds
• 1 (3") cinnamon stick
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon sugar
• 1 c. sweet cherries, pitted and quartered

Directions

1. Toast almonds and cinnamon stick over medium heat until almonds are just starting to get a bit of colour.
2. Add butter.
3. Once butter is melted, add oats and increase heat to medium-high. Toast oats for a few minutes until they begin to smell nutty.
4. Add water.
5. Stir in honey, cinnamon sugar, and cherries.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until desired consistency. (It will thicken slightly as it cools.)

Cherry-Coconut Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. sliced almonds
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 4 c. water
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. sweet cherries, pitted and quartered
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

Directions

1. As above, but wait until oatmeal is off heat to stir in extracts.
2. Serve as is or topped with a few squares of dark chocolate.

Apple-Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 apples, diced
• 2 (3") cinnamon sticks
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. raisins

Directions

1. As above, adding the apples and cinnamon sticks along with the oatmeal.
2. Serve sprinkled topped with heavy cream and a little cinnamon sugar or a touch of extra brown sugar.

Peanut Butter and Jam Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 4 c. water
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. peanut flour
• 1 c. sliced strawberries
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. As above, stirring in the vanilla after the oatmeal is off heat.
2. Serve topped with a little peanut butter and strawberry jam.

Tropical Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 (3") cinnamon stick
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1/3 c. sweetened condensed coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/16 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. As above, stirring in vanilla extract once oatmeal is off heat.
2. Serve topped with cinnamon sugar and pineapple and/or extra mango.

Mulled Apple Cider Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 apple, diced
• 3 (3") cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 star anise
• 5 cloves
• 1/4 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 1 blade of mace
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. apple cider
• 2 Tbsp. chopped prunes
• 1 Tbsp. candied orange peel
• 3 Tbsp. jaggery

Directions

1. Follow the usual procedure of toasting the oats in the butter, adding the spices along with the oats.
2. Add the water, fruit, and jaggery and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Serve topped with apple pie filling or, if you have some cider left over, make a reduction, stirring in a bit of butter and sugar at the end of cooking and top your oatmeal with that!

Banana Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. spiced rum
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Melt butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add oats and toast for a few minutes.
3. Add banana and brown sugar and cook for a minute or two.
4. Add water and rum and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.
6. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
7. Serve topped with crushed banana chips and caramel sauce or dulce de leche.

Cranberry-Orange Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 (3") cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. candied orange peel
• 1/3 c. dried cranberries
• 1/3 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 c. vanilla sugar

Directions

1. Follow the usual procedure.
2. Serve topped with cranberry sauce and/or marmalade.

This is my new favourite bread recipe! It's beautiful and soft and tender. Fluffy and light. And the honey gives it a lovely, subtle sweetness. It keeps well. It slices nicely. It makes amazing toast and beautiful sandwiches. I don't think I can oversell this bread. It's wonderful!

I did have a bit of trouble with the timing of the rises on this one. But even over-proved as it was, it was still delicious! I've taken another crack at it now. The rise isn't quite as high on the latest batch, but hopefully I still gave it enough time to develop that beautiful, light texture.

Buttermilk Bread

Slightly adapted from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3/4 c. hot water
• 1 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 1/4 c. honey
• 830g hard (high grade/bread/strong) whole wheat flour OR 780g all-purpose whole wheat flour + 50g gluten flour
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. Sprinkle yeast into warm water and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Combine hot water, buttermilk, and honey and stir until honey has dissolved.
3. Combine flour(s) and salt and mix well.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the yeast mixture and the buttermilk mixture.
5. Gradually incorporate the flour into the liquids working from the centre outward.
6. Turn out the dough (don't worry if not all the flour had been incorporated yet) and knead for 10 minutes, working in additional flour or water as needed. This dough should be relatively loose so err on the side of too wet over too dry.
7. Smear the butter on the work surface and continue to knead the dough for another 10-20 minutes to incorporate the butter.
8. Place in an ungreased bowl, cover, and set to rise for ~2 hours. (If your house is very warm, check after an hour or so.)
9. Knock the dough back, shape into a ball, and return to bowl to rise for another 1-1 1/2 hours.
10. Knock the dough back again, divide it into two equal portions, and shape each half into a ball.
11. Round the balls, pulling the gluten tight and smooth across the tops. Set aside to relax for 10 minutes.
12. Shape each ball into a loaf and place in greased loaf pans.
13. Cover loosely and set to rise for 30-60 minutes.
14. Slash the tops of the loaves (assuming the dough is well-risen) and bake at 325°F (160°C) for ~1 hour. (Check after 45 minutes or so.)
15. Cool in tins for 10 minutes, then turn out and place on wire rack to cool.

I loved eggnog as a kid and this was always my go-to recipe. I don't make it so often anymore, but it's still a nice treat every once in a while. Add a little rum if you like. Personally I prefer my eggnog without any booze but, to each their own.

Eggnog

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys & Girls

Ingredients

• 3 eggs¹
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 6 Tbsp. (vanilla) sugar
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and mix until homogeneous and slightly frothy.
2. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Garnish with a little extra nutmeg if desired.

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¹ I've always just used whole raw eggs in my eggnog. Then again, we generally had fresh eggs from our own chickens to use. If you're wary of eating raw eggs, you can look for pasteurized eggs at the grocery store. They're generally sold in square cartons (like milk cartons) around here. If using pasteurized liquid eggs -- check to make sure they haven't had any other seasonings or ingredients added! -- 1/4 c. should be roughly equivalent to 1 large egg. ^Back

I've never had a Chelsea bun before, but TF and catalyst both love them, so I decided to try a batch. I had to improvise a bit on the fruit since we were out of raisins. I ended up using a mix of dried cranberries and glacé cherries. That mix seems to have worked out well, although I think I'd like to try it with some raisins (and maybe a few chopped pecans) in next time. I also think it'd be fun to try the dried cranberries with an orange-flavoured dough and glaze.

Chelsea Buns

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

Dough

• 225g hard (bread/"high grade") flour
• 1 tsp. sugar¹
• 100mL warm milk
• 1/2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 75g salted butter
• 1 egg

Filling

• 50g salted butter, softened
• 100g mixed dried fruit
• 25g mixed peel
• 50g brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Toppings

• 1/4 c. sugar, divided
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Directions

Dough

• Mix 2 Tbsp. of the flour with the sugar and milk.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Sift the remaining flour and salt together and cut in the butter.
• Pour in the egg and the yeast mixture.
• Mix well to form a soft dough.
• Knead (as best you can) for 5 minutes. The dough will be quite wet, so it probably work best to knead with one hand while wielding a bench scraper with the other hand. I found that the dough became even slacker after the first minute or two as the butter began to melt from the heat of my hands. I recommend working quickly.
• Shape into a ball and place in a lightly buttered bowl.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill and rise overnight.²
• On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and roll it into a 23x30cm rectangle.
• Spread evenly with the softened butter. (I found a long off-set spatula helpful for this.
• Combine the dried fruit, mixed peel, brown sugar, and spices.
• Sprinkle the filling mixture evenly over the buttered dough.
• Roll up from a long edge to form a cylinder.
• Cut into nine pieces and place cut side down in a greased 7" (18cm) square tin³.
• Cover with a damp cloth and set to rise for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of sugar.
• Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
• Dissolve the sugar in the milk and heat to form a glaze.
• Brush the glaze over the buns while hot.
• Pull apart and serve warm.

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¹ Edmonds calls for caster sugar here, but I just used regular granulated sugar. ^Back
2 The original recipe has you setting the dough to rise for 90 minutes at room temperature, but with the butter melting and the dough being so soft, I decided that it might benefit from some time in the fridge. My understanding is that a long slow prove is often quite beneficial as well, so I figured why not! ^Back
3 I only have an 8" square tin, so I just used that. They didn't quite rise enough to fill the tin during the second prove, but they had closed the gaps by the time they came out of the oven. I think a 7" tin would've been better but, in a pinch, you can get away with an 8" tin. ^Back

Last year we made some sweet cinnamon roasted pumpkin seeds after turning the rest of the pumpkin into delicious pie. This year we hit up the same set of recipes and tried out the ranch recipe for a savoury twist. And, once again, I was very pleased with the results. Although I think I'd cut back on the salt a little next time. Other than that, they were great though.

Ranch Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Slightly adapted from Wholefully

Ingredients

• 1 c. raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. fresh parsley, minced
• 1/2-1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground (depending on how salty you like things)
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. dill¹
• 1/4 tsp. mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp. celery seed, ground
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Rinse and dry your pumpkin seeds.
2. Add olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Sprinkle ranch mixture over oiled pumpkin seeds and toss to coat.
5. Spread seeds onto baking sheet and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.

I think it might be interesting to try adding just a touch of buttermilk powder to the mix as well. I'd probably start with 1/4 tsp. or so just to see how it goes.

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¹ I was all out of dill, so I ended up grinding up 1/2 tsp. of dill seeds and using that instead. The flavour isn't quite the same, but it was close enough for this application. ^Back

I've been wanting to try this recipe for ages. The gingerbread loaf I made a while back (but only recently got around to posting) came out quite well. The idea of a sweeter, more cake-like concoction sounded quite appealing.

I decided to substitute a 1:1 mix of corn syrup and molasses for the golden syrup called for in this recipe. I do like the molasses with the ginger, but I it was a bit too strong in the case and gave the cake a bitter edge. I'll try a 3:1 corn syrup:molasses ratio next time.

Sticky Gingerbread

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 125g (salted) butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. corn syrup
• 1/4 c. molasses
• 1 large (or 2 medium) egg(s)
• 2 1/2 c. soft (plain/standard/bread) flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking soda
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 c. water

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Combine the corn syrup and molasses and warm slightly until runny.
3. Add corn syrup mixture to butter mixture.
4. Beat in egg(s).
5. Sift dry ingredients together and mix well.
6. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with water.
7. Pour batter into greased and floured 9" (23cm) square tin.
8. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 1 hour.
9. Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out.
10. Cut into squares and serve with custard.

This recipe shows up in Edmonds as "Sherry Trifle". I followed that recipe but omitted the sherry. It still came out plenty moist and delicious with the added benefit of being kid-friendly.

I also didn't really weigh or measure anything for this one. I made one batch of three minute sponge (in a 9" square pan), split it and filled it with raspberry jam, and cut it into cubes. I then just tossed jammy cake cubes into the bottom of a glass bowl 'til they'd formed a nice layer and then poured a good bit of custard over top with a layer of frozen raspberries on top of it. Covered that with the rest of the cake cubes and even more custard and raspberries.

I think I must've either had more cake than the recipe called for, or a different shaped bowl because the 2 c. of custard they get you to make didn't end up being nearly enough! I ended up running out and making a second (2-c.) batch of custard. The allotted 300mL of heavy cream also wasn't nearly enough. I think used closer to 600mL -- it was half a litre + whatever was left in the other carton -- to cover the whole top of the trifle. I did whip it in the blender rather than using beaters though. And I know that generally results in a lower volume whip. But I wanted it to be stable in the fridge for several days while we ate it, so it seemed like a worthwhile trade-off.

Based on how much cream and custard I went through I'm guessing that I probably had ~400g of sponge rather than the recommended 200g. And I have no idea how much jam I used. I just spread jam on the cake until it was nicely filled. The recipe calls for 1/4 c. And, looking at the jar, I don't think 1/2 c. would be an unreasonable estimate of how much I used.

For the sake of simplicity I'm just going to copy the amounts and proportions directly from Edmonds even though I used more of basically everything. If you want a large trifle though, definitely don't hesitate to double everything!

Raspberry Trifle

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 200g three minute sponge
• 1/4 c. raspberry jam
• 2 c. fresh (or frozen) raspberries
• 1/4 c. custard powder
• 3 Tbsp. (vanilla) sugar
• 2 c. whole milk
• 300mL heavy (35%) cream
• 2 Tbsp. icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

Directions

1. Split the sponge and fill it with the raspberry jam.
2. Cut the filled sponge into cubes.
3. Place the sponge cubes in the bottom of a glass bowl (or trifle dish).
4. Add the fruit to the bowl on top of the cake.
5. Combine the custard powder with the sugar.
6. Pour in a small amount of milk and whisk until smooth.
7. Add the remaining milk while whisking to form a uniform mixture.
8. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking often, until thickened.
9. Pour custard over cake cubes.
10. Chill until custard is cold or overnight.
11. Add icing sugar and vanilla to cream.
12. Whip cream using beaters for a more voluminous, but less stable topping. Whip cream using a blender or food processor for a stiffer, more stable topping.
13. Serve as is or garnish with slivered almonds and/or more raspberries.

I made crumpets today! I am feeling pretty proud of myself. They came out great! The batter was truly bizarre: gloopy, glutinous mass that wasn't sure whether it wanted to be a liquid or a solid and definitely didn't want to be subdivided. Edmonds talks about pouring the batter, but it doesn't so much pour as... glorp. You can sort of scoop the batter up in a measuring cup, but it's kind of like trying to serve spaghetti with a ladle. You can get the ladle under the noodles and start to lift them up, but most of them will sort of slide/fall out because the bulk of the noodle is still in the bowl below. Now imagine that but with noodles that are much longer, thinner, heavier and all connected to each other like a sort of mesh. I eventually got the hang of working with it, but it's definitely not like anything I've ever made before. Can't argue with the results though!

Crumpets

From Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 250mL milk
• 300mL hot water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast¹
• 450g soft (cake or "plain") flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 100mL warm water

Directions

1. Combine the milk and hot water.
2. Stir in sugar until completely dissolved.
3. Sprinkle yeast over tepid mixture and set aside for 10 minutes. (Mixture should become frothy and produce bubbles.)
4. Meanwhile, sift² flour and salt together in a large bowl.
5. Once the yeast has had 10 minutes to soak and reconstitute, pour the yeast mixture over the flour mixture and stir to combine and form a smooth(ish) batter.
6. Beat hard for 5 minutes³. The batter will start to become strange and gloopy as the gluten develops. It'll still have enough water in it that it'll settle out into a placid-looking liquid when left alone. But, when beating, the gluten will mean that it will hold together, forming a ball almost like when making a more typical yeasted dough. It may climb the beaters. And when you finish beating it, there will likely be thick, glutinous sheets of batter stretched across the beaters. This is a good sign. Although it can be a bit of a task to coax it off the beaters and back into the bowl.
7. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place⁴ until batter has doubled in volume (~1 hour).
8. Dissolve baking soda in warm water and beat into risen batter.
9. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
10. Heat a large cast iron pan (or other heavy-bottomed pan/griddle) over medium heat and lightly butter it.
11. Butter the inside of the egg rings (or whatever you're using to shape your crumpets) and set them in the pan.
12. Pour a few tablespoons of batter into a ring and let it cook. If it runs out under the edge of the ring, the batter is too thin and needs more flour. If no (or insufficient) holes form and the batter doesn't bubble enough (or the bubbles don't burst during cooking), the batter is too thick and needs more water. My batter was too thick on the first attempt and needed more water. I think I added nearly an extra 100mL to get the right consistency.
13. Once you've found a good consistency for the batter that produces good results with lots of holes, you can start filling up all the rings. 3-4 tablespoons each should be about right for most egg rings. The batter should come about halfway up the sides of the ring and will rise the rest of the way during cooking.
14. Cook crumpets until risen and bubbles form (and burst) on top. The top should look almost dry before you flip it.
15. Flip them over (still in their rings) and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
16. Remove to cooling rack, regrease rings, and repeat with remaining batter.
17. Serve warm with lots of butter! (And optionally jam, honey, and/or maple syrup.)

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¹ You could probably also use instant yeast, simply adding it directly to the flour (rather than soaking first). Seeing as I had active dry yeast on hand though, I opted to use that and follow the recipe as written. ^Back
2 I totally forgot to sift the flour. Probably would've been easier to get a smooth batter if I had. Doesn't seem to have had any adverse effects overall though. ^Back
3 I highly recommend using some sort of electric mixer for this. You can do it by hand with a wooden spoon, but your arm might fall off by the end of five minutes of hard beating. I just used a little handheld electric mixer on low and that seemed to do the trick nicely. ^Back
4 I usually just leave my dough to rise at room temperature. In this case though, I did make a "warm place" by filling a bowl with hot tap water, placing a wire rack over the bowl of water, and then setting to bowl of batter on top of the rack. You can then cover the whole assembly with a damp cloth, creating a warm humid environment for your yeasted dough/batter. ^Back

Chipotle Cornbread

There are dozens of varieties of cornbread. Everything from a simple, flourless, unsweetened cornmeal batter cooked in a cast iron skillet to what is essentially a yellow cake -- full of sugar, flour, eggs, etc. -- with just a couple Tbsp. cornmeal added in.

I prefer cornbread that is somewhere between these two extremes. I like it to be lightly sweetened, but not as sweet as a cake. And I like a bit of flour in the batter, but the amount should always be somewhat less than the volume of cornmeal. That way the cornmeal is still front and centre and you still get that distinctive flavour and texture, but it's a bit lighter and softer than the varieties that use only cornmeal. Honestly, my ideal cornbread is pretty darn close to the Betty Crocker recipe. And since I apparently managed to lose my recipe, Betty Crocker is what I'm choosing to share here.

Cornbread (with Optional Chipotles)

Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 c. milk

1 large egg

1 1/4 c. cornmeal

1 c. all-purpose flour¹

1/2 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 chipotle chiles in a adobo, chopped (optional)

1. Whisk butter with milk and egg.

2. In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet (all at once) and stir until well mixed. The batter may be lumpy. This is okay!

4. Stir in chopped chiles (if using).

5. Grease an 8" square pan or 9" round pan and pour batter into prepared pan.

6. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes.

I don't remember exactly how my old recipe went, so I chose to just follow this one to the letter for now. In future I may try reducing the sugar somewhat and using corn oil as the fat instead of some or all of the butter. Maybe something along the lines of this recipe from Mazola.

I mean, even without and tweaks or changes, the Betty Crocker recipe makes a lovely cornbread. And adding the chipotles takes it to another level again. So if I never am able to find/recreate my old cornbread recipe, I am quite happy to keep using this one.

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¹ Normally, if all-purpose flour was not available, I would suggest substituting "hard", "high grade", or "bread" flour. However, in this case I think "plain" or "soft" flour would work just fine. This is a quickbread and therefore won't (I don't think) gain much benefit from the extra gluten found in bread flour.

Harissa

This is seriously the most delicious thing to come out of my blender. It's probably one of the most delicious things to ever come out of my kitchen! I don't think there is any way I could over-state just how good this harissa tastes. Or even how good it smells!

Make it. Eat it. Love it!

Harissa
From 150 Best Tagine Recipes
12 dried red chile peppers (I used Kashmiri chilies)
3/4 c. boiling water
1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. olive oil

1. Using scissors, cut chilies into strips. Discard stems.
2. Pour boiling water over chilies and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
3. Combine coriander, cumin, fennel, and fenugreek in a small pan and toast over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes. They may pop, but shouldn't smoke or burn.
4. Remove spices from hot pan and place on a plate to cool.
5. Once cool, grind the toasted spices.
6. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with the salt. (Alternatively, chop in a food processor.)
7. Drain the chilies and mash them with the garlic. (Or chop in the food processor.)
8. Mash in the spices.
9. Gradually pound and mix in oil.

I have neither a food processor nor a large enough mortar to accommodate all the harissa ingredients. Instead, what I did, was follow the recipe up to step 7. Once I got to step 7, I transferred the mashed garlic to my small bullet blender, added the chilies and a couple Tbsp. of oil, and gave it a quick whirl. Then I ground the toasted spices in the empty mortar and added them to the blender as well. Gave it another whirl. After that I alternated ~10-20 seconds of blending with stopping to add another Tbsp. or so of oil until I'd added the lot. I'm sure it would've been easier with a food processor, but I'm happy enough (more-than-happy actually!) with the results I got from the blender.

Update: As you may be able to tell from the photo, we have a molcajete now! So it's now even easier to make harissa. No more stopping and starting the blender; just dump everything into the molcajete and go to town!

Fiery Beef Tagine with Vegetables

I think this is my favourite of the tagine recipes we've tried so far. So, so tasty! It has a nice mix of meat and vegetables and includes both bebere and harissa. (For best results, serve with even more harissa as a condiment at the table!)

As with other tagine recipes, the preferred method is to cook it in an actual tagine. Barring that, a Dutch oven is probably the next best option.

Fiery Beef Tagine with Vegetables
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 slice candied ginger, chopped
1 Tbsp. harissa
2 tsp. berbere
1 lb. stewing beef, cubed or sliced
3 tomatoes (preferably roma), quartered
1 preserved lemon, finely chopped
2 c. diced squash
2 c. green peas, fresh or frozen
2 c. Balkan-style yogurt
1/2 c. fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, chopped
extra harissa (optional)

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes.
2. Add ginger, harissa, berbere, and stewing beef and cook for 7-10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, lemon, and squash.
4. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Add peas and cook, covered, for another 15 minutes.
6. Serve over couscous garnished with yogurt, cilantro, and extra harissa.