Harissa halloumi cheese tagine with almonds, a delicious and simple North African-influenced dish with spicy kick thanks to harissa paste.
This dish is delightfully simple to make, as well as being as tasty as a very tasty thing, and it will go from your fridge to your table in around 50 minutes.
Spicy "Squeaky" Cheese Tagine
I love cooking tagine recipes; they are gloriously simple, outrageously delicious, and they are endlessly versatile.
Of course, I have plenty of classic examples, but you can really let your mind wander. I've got meaty examples like my duck leg tagine, fishy examples like my cod loin tagine and vegetarian offerings like butternut squash tagine.
This recipe also falls into the vegetarian category, and the star of this tagine is some delicious "Cypriot" halloumi cheese. It is paired with spicy harissa paste, blanched almonds, red onion, sumac and za'atar.
Many of my dishes feature ingredients that appear to have stepped way out of their place of origin, but it's one of the things I love about cooking, there ain't no rules!
And here, squeaky cheese from the Aegean region sits beautifully alongside classic North African flavours. It is a cheese that cooks beautifully and has, to my mind, a magical texture.
Cooking this dish is also very simple; there are two cooking phases: the first softens down the onions with chilli, garlic and cinnamon.
Whilst this is happening, you have plenty of time to prepare the remaining ingredients and mix the sauce. Then you chuck them all into the pot and let the second phase happen whilst you prepare your sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use a tagine pot?
No, this will work fine in a similarly sized saucepan or frying pan. Be sure that it is a similar size because you want things to layer up.
What harissa paste do you use?
I tend to use Belazu rose harissa paste, although I have tested this with Le Cap Bon harissa paste, and it works well.
Do I have to add the chillies?
No, if you want a milder dish, feel free to omit the chilli peppers.
Can I make this in advance?
Technically, yes, it will be fine in the fridge for 4-5 days, but in reality, it will not be at its best when it is reheated.
Serving Suggestions
I've served this spicy harissa halloumi tagine with some simple buttered couscous in the pictures on this page.
It is fantastically quick and easy to make, and it offers a fantastic neutral base that spreads the fantastic flavours in this recipe even further with very little effort. You could do something very similar with bulgur wheat.
This giant couscous salad with orange and harissa would be an option with a bolder flavour profile that would still complement this recipe very well.
Some flatbread would also work fantastically, manakish, a Lebanese flatbread with za'atar would be an ideal match.
And if none of them "float your boat", how about some crispy salty fried potatoes? They are great dipped into this spicy sauce!
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 20-22cm or 8-9″ tagine or a similarly sized skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Mine is made by Staub.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Citrus zester
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Harissa Halloumi Tagine Recipe with Almonds
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Red Onion 150g
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Red Chilli Pepper Use a medium-hot variety
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 10 cm Cinnamon Bark 4"
- 2 tablespoon Rose Harissa Paste
- 75 ml Vegetable Stock ⅓ Cup
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Dried Mint
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 200 g Halloumi Cheese 7oz
- 50 g Blanched Almonds ¼-⅓ Cup
- ½ teaspoon Sumac
- ½ teaspoon Zaatar
- 1 Handful Fresh Coriander
Instructions
- Cut the onion in half, peel it and slice it into half-moon shapes as thinly as you can.
- Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves.
- Cut the chilli pepper into thin rounds.
- Pour the oil into the base of the tagine, create a flat layer of red onions, then sprinkle over the garlic, chilli peppers and add the cinnamon stick.Add the lid, turn the heat to low and allow the onions to cook for 15 minutes whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix the vegetable stock with the harissa paste, dried mint, lemon juice and salt, then set aside.
- Cut the halloumi cheese into 25mm (1") cubes.
- When the onions have had 15 minutes, remove the lid and add the halloumi cheese in a single layer, followed by the almonds.
- Pour over the harissa sauce that we mixed earlier, then sprinkle over the sumac and zaatar, return the lid and cook on low for another 20 minutes.
- Serve with lots of fresh coriander.
