Recipe: Jalapeño Harissa

Makes 1 pint, 1 tablespoon per serving

Instructions: Blacken the skins of the dulce mediterraneo chiles over a flame or under a broiler. A large, ripe red bell pepper may be substituted. Place the roasted chiles in a plastic bag, twist the top and let peppers sweat for about 20 minutes.

Cut the tops off the jalapeños and add to a blender. Heat a small nonstick skillet over a medium flame. Add cumin, caraway and coriander seeds and toast until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Coarsely grind seeds in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle and add spices to blender. Add whole garlic cloves to hot pan and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, and add to blender. Remove dulce mediterraneo peppers from bag, peel charred skin away and remove seeds. Add roasted peppers, tomato paste, salt and olive oil to blender.

Blend until sauce is fairly thick with just a bit of texture remaining. Transfer to a pint jar and pour a thin layer of olive oil on top. Will keep refrigerated for months if thin oil layer is reapplied after each use.

Per serving: 18 calories, 2 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 59 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrates, 0 g dietary fiber, 0 g sugar, 0 g protein