Spicy Lamb Spread with homemade harissa

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Heat the olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat.

   StoveDeep skillet (sauté pan)
2. 2
   Add and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

To assemble

1. 4
   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
2. 5
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 10 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon
3. 6
   Soak the dried peppers 30 minutes in hot water, drain and remove the seeds.

   Bowl
4. 7
   Grind the peppers in a food processor with the garlic, salt and black pepper.

   Food processor

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
5. 8
   Add the oil in a thin stream, while Tahini, until a smooth paste.

   Food processor

   💡The thin stream is everything: fat that goes in too fast can't bind, and the sauce breaks. For mayonnaise and hollandaise, if this happens, start with a fresh yolk and slowly add the broken sauce to it; if the sauce is too thick, thin it with a teaspoon of water.
6. 9
   Add the harissa, cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt and black pepper, stir well and cook another 15 minutes.

   Stove
7. 10
   Finish with the lemon juice and serve with Arab bread.