Harissa Sauce
New Mexico Chiles are the dried form of the Red Anaheim Pepper. This chile has a thin flesh with an earthy chile flavor and undertones of wild cherries. This chile ranges from 2 – 4 on a heat scale of 1 to 10. The New Mexico Chile may be referred to as the California Chile or Chile Colorado. New Mexico Chiles are commonly used in Red Mexican or Southwestern sauces and is grown in Mexico. This mildly hot chile. Scoville heat units 8,000 – 12,000.
Suggested Use:
New Mexico Chiles are mildly hot and very popular in Southwest cooking. Great in sauces, salsa, rice dishes, stews and soups. Add directly to the cooking liquid along with other spices. Use in stir fry, or add to chicken or fish marinades.
Ingredients:
10 dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground caraway
Water
Instructions:
Cover the chiles with hot water and let them sit for 15 minutes until they soften.
Place the chiles and remaining ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth using the chile water to thin it. The sauce should have the consistency of a thick paste.
Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups.
This sauce can be used to flavor cous cous and grilled dishes, or as a relish with salads. Cover the sauce with a thin film of oil and it will keep up to a couple of months in the refrigerator.
From The Whole Chile Pepper Book.