Harissa

1. Break up chile peppers. Remove the stems and seeds and discard. Wear disposable gloves if working with medium-hot or hot peppers.

2. Place chile peppers in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak until softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well, then dab dry with paper towels.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over very low heat and cook garlic until soft but still pale, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to the food processor together along with chile peppers.

4. Toast caraway seeds, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds in the skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Crush them in a mortar and add to the food processor. Process while slowly adding remaining olive oil, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed. Season with salt.

5. Spoon harissa into a sterilized glass jar and level the top. Add enough olive oil so the surface is covered and the harissa won't dry out. Seal and refrigerate.

Cook's Notes:

You can use mild, medium, or hot dried chile peppers to make harissa. You will need about 15 to 17 large chile peppers, more if you're using smaller varieties.

If you make more harissa than you can eat in 7 to 10 days, the best way to keep it is to freeze it in an ice-cube tray, then store the frozen cubes in freezer bags.