Harissa

Harissa is a hot pepper sauce that can be made with fresh, roasted, or dried peppers. You may purchase it in paste form in small jars or tubes, but it is easy to make. To serve it as a sauce, thin it with olive oil and a little lemon juice. This recipe was given to me by Baroui Karoui, a visiting Tunisian chef who cooked with me at Square One restaurant during a Mediterranean food conference sponsored by the American Institute of Wine and Food.