A couple of months ago Tudor and the rest of the gang over at The Mission (way over in South Africa) reached out and invited me to submit a food piece for their next issue (No. 15 here); he wanted something showcasing the regional flair of food we Texicans enjoy. After chewing on it a bit (no pun intended), I offered up this Texas Red Jalapeño and Chipotle Harissa.
From the piece I submitted –
Exceptional sauces and salsas are some of life’s simplest and most valuable additions to the table, making good foods great as they deliver layers of flavor and spice, most often as the best supporting actor and not stealing the scene from the star of the show.
Texas offers a fascinating and eclectic food culture, melding influences from early settlers hailing from across the world, but leaning heavily on Mexican, Germanic, and Irish roots, with a healthy scoop of Vietnamese and Asian influences thrown into the mix as well over the past several decades.
Distracted for years by delicious salsa verdes, fresh table salsas, and more guacamoles than I can count, of late we’ve been playing with different harissa recipes, including this one featuring a pepper unique to these parts – the Dulce Mediterraneo, for which you can readily substitute with a red bell pepper…
I’ve posted a slightly tweaked, and improved version of the recipe today over on the Older Bolder Life here; this is a damned easy prep and will go with anything you’re throwing on the grill this weekend.
Cheers.
