Amazing Merguez

Moroccan Lamb "Merguez" Sausage Recipe:

Serves 4 - 5

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lamb

1/2 lb. combination of bacon and reserved bacon drippings

4 cloves garlic

2 stems of green onions

2 - 3 tablespoons merguez spice mix (see below)

3 to 4 tablespoons harissa (see below)

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Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, starting with the garlic, onions and merguez spice to grind and mix, then adding the bacon mixture, then the ground lamb, and finally the harissa to evenly distribute the spices, herbs and harissa in the meat. Shape as desired. (Alternatively, you can pass the ingredients into sausage casings) For best flavor, allow the merguez to sit for 30 minutes (or longer in the fridge) before cooking.

I choose to grill, which can be tricky without casings, and you want to move them slowly to keep intact and cook through (this is ground meat).

Cook Cous Cous in a rice cooker per its instructions with your choice of shredded veggies.

Merguez spice mix:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoons

1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)

Harissa:

Ingredients:

8 to 10 dried red chili peppers

1 plum tomato (squeeze out all juice first)

3 or 4 cloves garlic

1 stem of green onion

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon cloves

3 teaspoons lemon juice

olive oil

Preparation:

Remove the seeds from the dried chili peppers and place them in a bowl. Cover them with very hot water and leave to soften for 30 minutes to an hour.

Drain the chili peppers, and gently squeeze out excess water with a paper towel. Using mini food processor grind the chili peppers, tomato, garlic, onion, salt and spices to a paste. Add the lemon juice and just enough olive oil to moisten the harissa, or add additional olive oil to thin it.

Store unused harissa in an airtight container in the fridge. For long storage, lightly top the harissa with a little oil before covering.