This Wild Rose Harissa Recipe requires on ¾ of a cup of rose petals. I use Rugosa because I love their scent, but you can use any provided it has a lovely smell. Our wild roses have a lovely scent if you collect them on a warm dry day, but their scent is hugely diminished when the weather is cooler & wet. The advantage of Rugosa roses is that you can usually gather the blossom and the hips at the same time.
More on Roses
Basking in the hedgerows or adorning our gardens, heady with fragrance so compelling & transporting, that for thousands of years, it has been associated with magic, mysticism, esoteric secrets, sacred sexuality, the emergence of a higher consciousness & divine feminine power.
Whether it’s a savoury, as in the above pictures of wild Rose harissa, or a sweet dish, every mouthful is a divine & direct portal to feminine spiritual heritage that has existed from time immemorial.
Traditionally used for calming & uplifting anxious minds, supporting the female reproductive system & to comfort those who are grief stricken,
Roses support us both physically & spiritually
Ingredients for Wild Rose Harissa
- 3 red peppers, roasted
- 5 garlic cloves, roasted
- 1½ to 4 chillies. This really depends upon how spicy you can take it!
- ½ cup of roasted Rugosa hips or sundried tomatoes, (to roast your hips, slice in half, scoop out the irritating hairs and seeds, place in a roasting tray, drizzle with oil, season and bake for 20 to 30 minutes in a moderate oven)
- 1 tsp of Hogweed or Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp of Ground Elder or Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- ½ tsp of rose water, (optional)
For those of you who would like to make your own rose water, it’s really very simple. You will, however, need about 48 hours to infuse it though.
Simply take a glass jar, fill it with strongly scented rose petals, (I use Rugosa), & then top up with water. Cover & leave for at least 2 days on a sunny windowsill.
Strain the rose petals, retaining the water. If you then add a shot of vodka or gin into your rose water, it will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months, without the alcohol it will last about a week in the fridge.
Onto our harissa paste.
Equipment for Wild Rose Harissa
Some sort of blender/electric chopper/blitzer/pestle & mortar
Sharp knife
Roasting dish
Small frying pan
Sterilised jars
Method
- Pre heat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius/gas 4
- Deseed the peppers & place, skin side up, in the roasting tray with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with some olive oil & roast for about an hour.
- Toast the seeds until they are fragrant, remove from heat.
- Place all of the ingredients into your blitzer & blitz until still slightly chunky.
- Store in sterilised jars in the fridge
Recipe from Forager Vicky who can be found at: @thelittleforagerskitchen
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