This past February I returned to the UK for three weeks to visit friends and clear my head. I am very lucky in that I was adopted into two wonderful families during my years living over there, both with mums whose skill in the kitchen is unparalleled. In fact, much of my cooking-coming-of-age took place in one of those inspiring kitchens, which had previously played host to the culinary explorations of Nigella Lawson! Or, at least, being that it was the previous home of Nigel Lawson, I like to tell myself that.
Every once in a while a flavour profile will leave you so captivated that you just must go back for seconds. And thirds. And perhaps fourths? I had sent a copy of Balaboosta to A as a Chanukkah/New Years gift and then received one myself for Christmas, but had yet to crack it open. Lucky for me, A’s mum had and a good number of the dishes we ate over the week I stayed with them were inspired by it. Everything was delicious. Having first been thoughtfully crafted by Einat Admony and then recreated by A’s mum, it couldn’t not be.
But what was the dish that sparked a flood of inspiration? That would be the Harissa and Honey Hot Wings. A’s mum used the whole chicken and it worked just as well, serving it with crisped lacinato kale, which I now simply cannot imagine this dish without. The honey perfectly balances the heat of the harissa, which is much more subtle and full-bodied than the spice of a jalapeño. I, who rarely takes seconds, simply had to have another piece. This is huge for one who, in the past, has avoided all things spicy, because they tend to make my head explode. Rest assured those of you reading this who also struggle with spice. Yes, you may want to use a bit less harissa (I sometimes go a bit overboard, it’s just that good), but if you are working on embracing spice like I am, it will help turn your life around!
Upon my return to Philly, I had to find harissa and quick! Einat does give a recipe for making your own harissa, which I would like to try sometime, but for now I am happy using Les Moulins Mahjoub’s traditional harissa spread. I have used the harissa and honey marinade on anything and everything (but chicken!): chickpeas, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, all of these together, you name it. It works and it is delicious! And I almost always serve it on a bed of crisped lacinato kale. I suppose any kale would do, I just happen to be partial to this Italian variety. Most recently I have also started serving it with roasted aubergine, since it’s in season. Like I said, it’s a winning flavour profile, with which you really can’t go wrong!
So enough chit chatting away, here is the recipe I know you’ve all been waiting for. I wouldn’t judge if you had even skipped straight to the bottom of the page… No, but really.
Harissa and Honey Marinade
Ingredients
½ cup honey
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp harissa
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp kosher salt
Method
Whisk together all the ingredients. Taste and, if you think you can take a little extra kick, add another dollop of harissa. I dare you.
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And here is a recipe to use the marine to make my favourite quick dinner of roasted aubergine topped w/ harissa-honey chickpeas and mushrooms. It makes enough to 2, or 1 with leftovers for lunch the next day!
Ingredients
1/2 recipe of Harissa and Honey Marinade
2 baby aubergines
1 can organic chickpeas (it really does make a difference to use organic)
10 baby bella mushrooms
8 leaves of Lacinato Kale with the ends cut off
Method
1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Prepare the harissa and honey marinade. Chop mushrooms into quarters and place in medium bowl. Rinse chickpeas, combine with the quartered-mushrooms, and toss with the marinade. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.
3. After about 10 minutes, slice each aubergine in half lengthwise, leaving a thin layer of skin connecting the 2 halves on one side. Score each half with a knife, making sure not to cut through the skin. Place aubergine in an oven-proof pan, then pour the chickpea-mushroom mixture over them.
4. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, until the aubergine yields easily to a fork.
5. While the aubergine mixture is baking, crisp the kale in a cast-iron pan. Drizzle 1 TBLS of olive oil in the pan and heat over medium-low heat then place a few leaves at a time in the pan and sprinkle with some sea salt. Once crisp, but not burnt, remove from pan and continue until all leaves are done. If you plan on having leftovers, I recommend only crisping the kale you will use in the moment.
6. Enjoy!!
Flirting with Flavour 