Recently, I stumbled upon a beautiful photo of a Harissa chicken recipe on Instagram. I wanted to make the recipe at home and share it with you too, so I reached out to Mae and asked her to kindly share her recipe with us.
The ingredient that initially caught my attention was harissa. Since relocating to France in 2020, harissa has become one of my go-to condiments and spices, readily available at every kosher grocery and butcher shop here. France's Jewish community is vibrant and diverse, comprising both Ashkenazi Jews, whose ancestors hailed from Eastern Europe, and Sephardic Jews, whose roots trace back to North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
Sephardic Jews have had a significant presence in France, particularly stemming from North African countries like Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. This diverse Jewish community contributes to the rich tapestry of Jewish life in France, influencing the country's culinary landscape with their unique flavors and traditions.
Harissa is a spicy and aromatic chili paste or sauce that originates from North African cuisine, particularly Tunisia. It is made primarily from dried red chili peppers, which are rehydrated and then blended with a combination of spices such as garlic, coriander, caraway seeds, cumin, and sometimes ingredients like tomatoes and roasted red peppers. The paste is typically mixed with olive oil to create a versatile condiment used to flavor a wide range of dishes.
The flavor profile of harissa is rich, smoky, and fiery, with a deep complexity from the blend of spices. It can vary in heat level depending on the type and quantity of chili peppers used. Harissa is often used as a marinade for meats like chicken or lamb, stirred into stews and soups, or used as a condiment for grilled vegetables, couscous, or even spread on sandwiches.
I'm excited for you to meet Mae and explore her harissa chicken recipe. I can't wait to try it out myself and hear your feedback on this flavorful dish!
Mae, please introduce yourself to our readers. Share a bit about your background, interests, and current projects you're involved in.
Hello! I am Chef Mae Bonder. I grew up and currently live in Washington DC, but have spent extensive time in Miami, Thailand, India, Israel and its surrounding areas. I have a Master of Science in Health Promotion Management from American University and an Associates Culinary degree from The Art Institute. I have years of training and experience in fine cuisine from working in restaurants, mainly in Miami and DC.
In 2024 I launched my own business, The Rooted Chefs, where I have been able to put my Masters and culinary talents together, working as a personal chef to bring clients nutritious and beautiful food tailored to their dietary needs. My approach to cooking is rooted in intentionally sourced ingredients inspired by nature and the seasons. I am committed to delivering the highest quality, most nutritionally dense and flavorful culinary creations from local farms, markets and grocers. Everything that The Rooted Chefs does is integrally linked to the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) community and its agricultural practices.
When I am not working I love to be with my three boys and loved ones. I also enjoy gardening and hanging out with our chickens.
As a personal chef, if you were in charge of improving Jewish cuisine for all of us, what would you focus on?
Diversifying what Americans have become used to seeing as Jewish cuisine. When asked what Jewish cuisine is, I feel that most think first of what is typically Ashkenazi cuisine: gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, brisket. In fact, this is only part of a much bigger picture.
Ashkenazi cuisine came to America via Central, Eastern, North Western, and Northern Europe, including Germany, Poland and Russia. But there are also many Sephardic Jews in America from the Mediterranean, North Africa, Middle East, Red Sea, and India. Jewish American cuisine is a medley of cultures and traditions that once brought to the United States assimilated into modern day Jewish American comfort food. Jewish American cuisine is as diverse as the different backgrounds that tie us to our past. It is the embodiment of nostalgia and enables us to travel around the world from our table.
Through my personal chef business, The Rooted Chefs, I hope to improve my clients’ well being through nutrition and to expand their idea of what constitutes Jewish cuisine through dishes such as Harissa Chicken, Shakshuka, and Sephardic Jeweled Rice.
For home cooks looking to improve their skills, what tips can you offer? Are there specific techniques or approaches that can elevate home cooking and baking?
Roasting tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers over your stove top flame! It is a sure fire way to instantly up your flavor game.
Make your life easier and don’t peel those potatoes! Just make sure to give them a really good scrub before cooking them, the skin has great flavor and nutrients.
What three favorite cookbooks have influenced your culinary journey?
The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig -
She does an amazing job at showing the world that Jewish food is a diasporic cuisine. As Julia Turshen says in the foreword, “Jewish food is not distinguished by geography. It is a diasporic cuisine, which means it's also defined by resilience, adaptability, and infinite adjustments, longing and remembering, and often homesickness-even if home is no longer.”
Tying different life experiences to their relationship with cuisine, Alon Shaya brings together culinary influences from Israel, Italy and New Orleans:“Food is the thread that runs throughout that whole journey.”
The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
This is not so much a cookbook as a guide to culinary creativity. They go into detail about core tastes and how to balance them, using things like acids to adapt flavor, and all in all help you get the confidence to be more innovative in your cooking.
What three foods couldn't you live without?
Labneh
Chicken Soup in it’s many different forms
Apples, all the sweet, tangy apples
We're curious about your favorite Jewish foods. Whether they're cherished family recipes or dishes with special memories, could you share what makes these foods stand out for you?
I am adopted and was raised Presbyterian, but always felt like that wasn't right for me. In my 20s I converted to Judaism. After my conversion, I did DNA testing and found out I actually am Jewish, with a large % Ashkenazi from Central Europe and Western Ukraine, Belarusian. Now I observe by celebrating the Jewish holidays, celebrating shabbat on fridays, and a huge part of it for me is through culinary expression. I also don't usually discuss my conversion because, as the rabbi says, once you complete it you are now Jewish and it does not matter how you got here.
A large contributor to my evolving Jewish identity has been my trips to Israel to visit loved ones. Many foods typically considered Israeli originate from the cuisine of the Middle East. In addition, Jewish traditions of Eastern Europe play an integral role in Israeli cuisine, with ingredients such as sour cream and yogurt from Southeastern Europe. Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt is my favorite brand to use to make Labneh!
Labneh, which originated in the Levant, can be found in Turkish, Lebanese, Palestinian, and Israeli cuisines. This is what makes it my favorite Jewish food, other than the fact that it is so delicious and versatile in use. It is a food that some would not consider to be traditionally Jewish yet its roots come from many countries with Jews as part of their population. Jews are a diasporic population and so we have a cuisine that has many influences.
Tell us about your Harissa Chicken Recipe. Is there a backstory, and why is this recipe a favorite of yours? Any tips for how to serve or pair this dish with other foods?
Harissa Chicken is something I came across traveling with my family to Morocco when I was much younger and I have enjoyed it ever since. Since I started my journey as a chef, I have tweaked it over the years and this is my latest version of the recipe! I like to pair it with roasted lemon potatoes.
My recipe includes the ingredients and instructions to make your own harissa paste. If you’d prefer to buy one, I recommend Mina Harissa Moroccan Red Pepper Sauce.
Mae’s Harissa Chicken Recipe is shared below - if you’d like to reach out to her about her recipe or personal chef services, please visit her website https://rootedchefs.com/contact/ to send her an email and/or book a call.
Moroccan Inspired Harissa Chicken
Category: Meat
Prep time: At least 3 hrs
Cook time: 1 ½ hrs
Total time: at least 4 ½ hrs
Yield: 4-6 portions
Ingredients:
15 dried Arbol chili peppers
2 dried Guajillo chili peppers
1 dried Ancho chili pepper
2 red bell peppers
1 tsp preserved lemon or lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp Morton Kosher salt
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp White wine vinegar
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 chicken, spatchcocked
Tools:
Two large bowls
Plastic wrap
Food processor
Knife
Tongs
Roasting pan with rack
Kitchen thermometer
Latex/Non latex gloves
Instructions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Pat the chicken dry inside and out, then season with Diamond Crystal Kosher salt.
Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.
Hydrate the chilies by adding them to a bowl and covering with hot water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let soak for at least 45 mins or until the water has completely cooled.
While chilies are soaking, roast your red bell peppers over your stove top flame until all sides are completely charred.
Place the red bell peppers into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (this will steam them and make them easier to peel).
After 5 mins, peel the bell peppers skin off, de-seed and coarsely chop.
Trim away the stems from the chili peppers and split them lengthwise in order to scrape away the seeds (I recommend wearing kitchen gloves for this part)
Add the chilies to a food processor with the red bell pepper and remaining ingredients.
Pulse until a smooth paste is formed, adding more olive oil if needed to reach desired consistency.
Rub the Harissa paste all over the outside and under the skin of the chicken. Cover and refrigerate to allow the flavor to sink in, for at least a couple of hours or preferably overnight.
Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator in time to allow it to come back to room temperature before cooking.
Set chicken inside a roasting pan and place on the middle rack in the oven.
Once in the oven add some water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Roast for about 1 hr.
Take the chicken out of the oven while you raise the temperature to 450 degrees F. Once the oven reaches the new temperature, place chicken back in the oven to roast for another 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes to ensure juices settle before you carve (internal temperature should have reached at least 165 degrees F).
Once ready to serve, I recommend lightly drizzling the chicken with a good olive oil and adding some fresh chopped parsley.
I hope you enjoyed meeting Mae and reading her recipe! Please share with a friend who loves Harissa
If you have a recipe you would like to share with the community, write to me at kenden@jewishfoodhero.com
Am Yisrael Chai,
Kenden
Love your posts, Kenden. Shabbat shalom to you and your family and happy summer solstice ❣️
~Joan