medtran49
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Harissa
1/2 roasted red pepper, seeds and skin removed
2 ounces dried red chiles of your choice (see below)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
juice from 1/2 lemon
1-1/2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for storarge
Couscous
One 10-ounce box of plain couscous
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup currants
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 tsp curry powder
1-1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
Chicken and dressing
4-5 large chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-off
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 Tbsp fresh lime juice, divided
2 tsp finely grated/microplaned lime zest, divided
Pinch of sugar or more to taste
salt and pepper
For harissa, place chilis in a heat-proof glass or metal bowl, pour boiling water over to cover and allow to rehydrate for 20-30 minutes. While the chills are soaking, toast the spices in a small skillet over medium heat until you start to smell them. Remove from the pan and let cool. Grind to a powder using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Drain the chiles and combine with red bell, spices, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor, and process until a fairly smooth paste forms. Place in an airtight container, level as much as possible, and pour a thin film of olive oil over the top to retain freshness and prevent the mixture from discoloring or drying out. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a month.
For chicken, in a large plastic sealable bag add 1 tsp lime zest, 3 Tbsp plus 1 tsp harissa, 2 Tbsp oil, 2 Tbsp lime juice. Mix well. Add chicken pieces and massage to coat with marinade. Place chicken in refrigerator to marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Whisk remaining 1/2 cup oil, 1 tsp lime zest, 2 Tbsp lime juice sugar, 1 Tbsp harissa, salt and pepper to taste until well combined. You may need to add a bit more sugar if dressing is too acidic. It should be slightly acidic though. Cover and refrigerate.
The next day, remove dressing from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature.
Prepare a medium-low heat on your grill. Remove chicken from marinade but do not remove marinade from chicken. Place chicken on grill and cook until done, turning and moving around occasionally. Remove and let cool, then shred into large chunks.
In the meantime, place currants in a glass or metal container and pour boiling or near to boiling water over and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. Drain.
Prepare couscous by heating oil over medium heat, add onions and saute until soft. Add curry powder and cumin, stirring for a minute or so to bloom the spices. Add the chicken broth, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, stir in the couscous and currants, cover, and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
To serve, place couscous in bottom of bowl, place some shredded chicken on top, and drizzle some of the dressing over.
A nice garnish for this would be cilantro or even Italian parsley if you don't like cilantro.
NOTES: If you like a moist couscous, you might want to double the dressing.
For the harissa, you can use just 1 kind of chili or a variety. I like to use a variety, including New Mexico, Ancho, Guajillo, Arbol, Cascabel, Japon, Chipotle. You can control the heat level by using more or less of the hotter chilis as desired.
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