Recipe - Black Olives With Harissa

1 pound Oilcured black olives;
(preferably
; Moroccan)*

FOR HARISSA
1 teaspoon Cuminseed
One half teaspoon Coriander seeds
One half teaspoon Caraway seeds
2 Hot red dried chilies*;
stemmed but not
; seeded (about 2
; inches in length)
2 Garlic cloves
One half teaspoon Coarse salt; or to taste
1 md Red bell pepper; roasted
(procedure
; follows) and
; chopped coarse
1 tablespoon Olive oil

*available at Middle Eastern or Mediterranean markets

In a colander rinse olives under cold water 1 minute and in a large
bowl cover with cold water. Soak olives 4 hours to remove excess salt
and drain well.

Make harissa: In a mortar with a pestle, an electric spice grinder,
or a cleaned coffee grinder grind seeds fine. If using mortar and
pestle, add chilies, garlic, and salt and pound to taste. If using a
spice or coffee grinder, transfer seeds to a small food processor and
add chilies, garlic, and salt. Grind mixture to a paste. Add pepper
and oil and pound or puree to a coarse paste.

In a large bowl stir together harissa and olives and marinate,
covered and chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight. Olives may be
prepared 1 week ahead and kept chilled, covered.

Serve olives at room temperature.

To roast peppers:

Using a longhandled fork, char peppers over an open flame or on a
rack set over an electric burner, turning, until skins are blackened,
4 to 6 minutes. (Or to broil peppers on rack of a broiler pan under a
preheated broiler about 2 inches from heat, turning every 5 minutes,
15 to 20 minutes, or until skins are blistered and charred.) Transfer
peppers to a bowl and let stand, covered, until cool enough to
handle. Keeping peppers whole, peel them, starting at blossom end.
Cut off pepper tops and discard seeds and ribs.

Makes about 3 cups.

Gourmet August 1994

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