Some like it hot. And spicy. And fresh. AND flavorful. Are you ready for a harissa recipe that is all of the mentioned? Harissa is a Middle Eastern condiment, specifically a Tunisian hot chili pepper paste. It is used for meat and vegetable dishes and is commonly added to soups, stews, and couscous. Make it simple and spread harissa on some warm pita or bread for a get your agni (fire) moving in the morning kind of breakfast. I love it with scrambled eggs or with an omelette. As a condiment, harissa’s uses are endless.
I am absolutely delighted to be joining the Sunday Supper Tastemakers for my first Sunday Supper event – Spice is Nice and Some Like It Hot which is being hosted by Sarah of The Chef Next Door. Check out the recipes below from this fabulous community and get your spice on! A new topic and whole new list of recipes comes out every Sunday.
Now, let’s talk Harissa Lamb Meatballs. I did a combo of lamb and beef for this recipe. Ground lamb is not always easy to find and sometimes needs a bit of fat from a good quality ground beef chuck to make them juicy. If you cannot find ground lamb, simply substitute ground beef. The results will be equally delicious.
For the harissa recipe, I slightly modified Ottolenghi’s recipe in the cookbook Plenty (Amazon affiliate link). I used roasted red peppers from a jar and I swapped spices for some of the seeds. An option for the harissa is to substitute Huy Fong Vietnamese chili garlic sauce (Amazon affiliate link) for the bird peppers. Use approximately 1 – 2 tablespoons for the heat of one little chili. You can also use red pepper flakes to bring the heat. The little hot peppers at my market did not look great this week, so I used the sauce. Traditional harissa is very spicy, so using the chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes allows you a bit more control of the spicy level. I like it hot, but I also want to taste everything without searing my esophagus. Taste it step by step and let your palate and preference be the guide!
The yogurt dipping sauce brings a creamy element to the dish and is great for those who are not spicy fans. The yogurt cuts the heat and pairs perfectly with the Middle Eastern flavors of the harissa and lamb.
Let’s eat! You can opt to warm the meatballs with the harissa or serve it at room temperature. We tried it both ways and liked the room temp version a bit more.
Happy Sunday Supper! What are you eating today?
Ingredients for the Harissa (makes approx 2+ cups):
- 1 large roasted red pepper (make sure it is the whole pepper)
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large red onion, rough chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 2 medium-hot fresh red chilis, seeded and roughly chopped OR 1 – 2 tablespoons of chili garlic sauce
- 3 Campari tomatoes, rough chopped (I used this instead of 1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2/3 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Ingredients for the Lamb and Beef Meatballs:
- 1/2 pound lamb (1 pound of meat makes approximately 15 smaller meatballs)
- 1/2 pound of ground beef
- 1 raw egg
- 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
- 2 tsp of oregano
- Salt and Pepper
Ingredients for the Herbed Yogurt Dip:
- 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
Directions:
Harissa: Add all ingredients to your food processor/chopper. Blitz until they are combined. I like mine a little chunkier so I do not puree it completely. This can be made up to a day in advance and will keep in the refrigerator for a week or more.
Yogurt dip: Combine all the ingredients and let it sit while the flavors marry. This can also be done a bit ahead of time.
Meatballs: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients and form mini meatballs (slightly smaller than a golf ball). Place the meatballs on a baking tray. Cook for 15 minutes, turn the meatballs, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Check to make sure they are cooked through.
Dish prep: I placed the meatballs and harissa in a cast iron skillet and heated for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees to serve warm. Garnish with yogurt dip and chives. Serve and enjoy!
Get your spice on with these Sunday Supper Tastemakers!
Aromatic Appetizers
- Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Cajun Shrimp Dip byCooking with Carlee
- Harissa Lamb Meatballs with Herbed Yogurt Dipping Sauce by The Hungry Goddess
- Jalapeno Cheddar Roasted Chickpeas by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Smoky Jalapeno Pineapple Salsa by Dash of Evans
- Spicy Apricot Chicken Meatballs by My Life Cookbook
- Spicy Jalapeno Chickpeas by Helpful Homemade
- Spicy Peach Chicken Wings by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
- Spicy Sugared Cashews by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Distinctive Drinks
- Cilantro Jalapeno Mojito by Manu’s Menu
- Shoo Fly Punch with a Kick by Our Good Life
Daring Desserts
- Chipotle Peanut Butter Cookies by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
- Cinnamon Rolls by The Freshman Cook
- Mexican Chocolate Pudding by Pies and Plots
- Peppercorn Shortbread by The Finer Cookie
- Spicy Fudge Brownies by The Chef Next Door
- Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Masterful Mains
- Buffalo Chicken & Lentil Stuffed Peppers by Momma’s Meals
- Chicken Karahi (Pakistani Chicken Curry) by Curious Cuisiniere
- Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers by Feeding Big and more
- Chickpea, lentil and spinach curry by Caroline’s Cooking
- Devil’s Chicken by Monica’s Table
- East Indian Chard and Lentils by Wholistic Woman
- Fried Chicken with a Kick by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Grilled Chipotle Pork Chops by Cooking Chat
- Hella-peno Burger by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- Jalapeno Popper Pizza by Hardly A Goddess
- Kung Pao Chicken by Palatable Pastime
- Lomo Saltado by Tramplingrose
- Spicy black bean burgers by Simple and Savory
- Spicy Penne all’arrabbiata by She Loves Biscotti
- Sweet & Spicy Pulled Pork Tacos by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Sweet Chili Pork by Cookin’ Mimi
- Tunisian Garlic Chickpea Soup by What Smells So Good?
Seasoned Sides
- Baked Sriracha Sweet Potato Fries by Magnolia Days
- Green Mango Sambal by Food Lust People Love
- Easy to Make Cabbage Kimchi (Mak Kimchi) by kimchi MOM
- Grilled Potato Salad with Spicy Picada Sauce by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Plus Homemade Ginger Ale and Spice is Nice Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.
So excited to see you and this gorgeous recipe in today’s #uSundaySupper event! Welcome!!
Isabel – Thank you for creating this wonderful movement! I am DELIGHTED and will see you at the twitter chat! xoxoxxo
Hhmm. Yum! I adore Ottolenghi and you version looks beautiful. Yogurt has a way of smoothing out the hot and spicy, don’t you think?
This is my first Sunday Supper too! We can be newbies together 🙂 This recipe sounds amazing, I agree: ground lamb is super hard to find sometimes. I’ll be on the look out now so I can try this tasty recipe! YUM!
HI Ashleigh! That sounds GREAT 🙂 – great to connect! xo
I love everything about these. We don’t have lamb often, but love trying it new ways. The yogurt sauce sounds like a perfect counterbalance too. Yum!
Carlee recently posted..Cajun Shrimp Dip #SundaySupper
Thank you, Carlee and your Cajun Shrimp Dip looks scrumptious!
I love the use of yogurt to cool of a hot dish. Looks delicious!
Thank you, Denise! I love yogurt to add the creamy too!
LOVE harissa, I’m sold!
Thank you, Sarah! 🙂 I love harissa too!
Yum! this looks so good. And welcome to SudaySupper, I’ve recently joined as well