Harissa

MOROCCAN COOKS USUALLY MAKE this tasty salad with Swiss chard, but I have seen it also with beet leaves. Eaten all year round, it is prepared by Moroccans on Rosh Hashanah for their Sephardic Seder, when they say a series of blessings over squash, leeks, dates, pomegranates, black-eyed peas, apples, the head of a fish or a lamb, and Swiss chard and beet greens.

The veggies are great at room temperature, so grill them a couple of hours ahead, if you like. Cooking them ahead also frees up room on the grill for whatever meat you’re grilling (lamb would be delicious with the vegetables).

Harissa (a spicy chile sauce from North Africa) gives the steak some heat. The meat needs to marinate for at least two hours, so plan accordingly.

I call this herb and spice rub North African because, besides the classic oregano and rosemary, it contains Tunisian and Moroccan spices such as caraway, cumin, and turmeric. In addition, it is spiked with harissa, the ubiquitous hot pepper paste that is to Arab North Africa what chile oil is to Asia. Use the same spice mixture to rub poultry, beef, or pork two to three hours before grilling and leave at room temperature. Or you can mix 3 tablespoons of this rub with 3 tablespoons yogurt and baste chicken breasts or legs or skewered lamb and pork before grilling. Better yet, leave in the spicy yogurt marinade in the refrigerator overnight.

Bold North African flavors stand up to even the heartiest of hot dogs. Pile the dogs high with spicy harissa-flavored caramelized onions; a bright, pleasantly bitter preserved-lemon relish; and just a bit of hummus.

An easy marinade of garlic, lemon, thyme, and a dollop of the North African hot sauce harissa make these green olives memorable. If you can, prepare the olives ahead—they improve with age.

Blanching the root vegetables shortens the stew's cooking time and keeps the flavors bright. Plus, the blanching water makes a great quick stock.

The North African hot sauce called harissa lends this soup its beautiful brick-red color, as well as a deep, spicy warmth that isn’t the least bit aggressive. For a supper that’s both robust and rejuvenating, chard, chickpeas, and noodles go into the pot, too.

These savory pies are filled with fish instead of the traditional squab.

Feel free to swap in store-bought pizza dough here—the most important part of the recipe is grilling the pies.

It's worth doctoring the harissa you buy in a tube or can, which we consider more of a base than a finished product. The result here, used as a condiment for the couscous and a marinade for the lamb, is definitely more intense, and a little goes a long way.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Kitchen Sense: More Than 600 Recipes to Make You a Great Home Cook. To read more about the book, click here. The strong Mediterranean flavors in this satisfying sandwich were jointly inspired by a trip to Tunisia and my frequent visits to the original 'wichcraft sandwich shop in New York City.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

The popular North African chili paste known as harissa is featured in a braised-chicken dish from Laura Dewell, chef-owner of Pirosmani restaurant in Seattle.

Black soybeans are a terrific stand-in for chickpeas in this robust hummus. Because of soybeans' nuttiness and creamy texture, no olive oil and very little tahini (sesame-seed paste) are required to give the dip its traditionally rich flavor. I like to give the hummus some heat by adding a bit of the North African hot pepper paste called harissa.  You'll find harissa  and tahini at most international groceries; tahini is also available at health-food stores. Serve the hummus in a small bowl, garnished with a sprinkling of sweet paprika and a scattering of oil-cured olives. Set a basket of pita triangles on the side. I often double the recipe so I can make a lunch of hummus and thick strips of roasted red pepper stuffed into a pita pocket.

Herby chickpea falafel gets the veggie burger treatment with harissa mayo and pickled onion.

No coating or frying here! Toasted breadcrumbs and a blanket of melty cheese replicate the flavors and textures of eggplant parm in a fraction of the time.

This just-charred-enough asparagus begs to be dragged through a swoosh of cool, creamy labneh mixed with bright, fiery harissa.

Make this spiced and savory take on the French classic as a dinner party side dish or weeknight vegetarian main.