Harissa

This famous pimento paste gives a fiery taste and a red colour to many foods in North Africa. It can be bought here ready made but this will not have the special perfume of the home-made variety. To make it you will need: 250g (8 oz) fresh or dried fiery red chilli peppers, 1 medium-sized whole head garlic, 1 tablespoon dried coriander (pulverized), 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, 1 tablespoon dried mint, 3 tablespoons or more fresh coriander leaves and 1 tablespoon salt, plus a little olive oil.

Remove stems and seeds and soak dried chillis in water for an hour. Drain and pound with the rest of the ingredients or put through a food processor, moistening with a little olive oil, to obtain a thick paste. This will keep well in a jar in the refrigerator if it is covered with a new layer of oil every time it is used. Use very little at a time. As you can imagine, it is very powerful.