Pepper, Onion, and Turmeric Paste

Less popular than harissa—Moroccan pepper paste—h’rous, the spicy condiment of southern Tunisia, is for me a more complex and interesting flavoring. It is made with fermented onions, turmeric, rosebuds, and other spices. This recipe is based on Paula Wolfert’s h’rous from her classic book The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean. I like the mild, smoky flavor of chipotle peppers, but you can make the paste hotter by combining different kinds of dried chiles, since the T