Cooking in the Lite

A great sauce for many foods!

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 3 TBSP chopped shallots
• 3 TBSP chopped garlic
• 2 pounds tomatoes, coarsely chopped or a 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
• 1 tsp harissa sauce or to taste, available at specialty stores, or 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes mixed with 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp raz el hanout or garam masala, both are available at specialty stores or use 1/2 tsp of powdered cumin
• sea salt

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, harissa, raz el hanout and season to taste with salt. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until thickened. Cool for about 5 minutes. Purée in a blender until smooth.

Nora's Note:
Have you ever tasted harissa? It is a hot sauce from North Africa and it is wonderful on couscous, goulash, Serbian bean soup and steak tartare. I love spicy foods.

Raz el hanout or ras il hanouf is the Moroccan equivalent of Asian five-spice powder or Indian garam masala. It combines all of the most characteristic spices of the Moroccan cuisine. It contains a mixture of about ten sweet and savory spices such as cardamom, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and clove.

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