Sharing his recipes from Maha Bar, Shane Delia gives two side dishes a flavour boost with harissa and ras el hanout.

Harissa-roasted carrots with hummus

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp harissa paste, plus 1 tsp extra
• olive oil, for drizzling
• 4 large carrots, sliced lengthways and cut at an angle
• 30g pine nuts
• 100ml maple syrup
• ½ bunch dill, chopped

Hummus

• 500g dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked
• 150g tahini
• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 500ml (2 cups) warm water
• 100ml lemon juice, plus extra to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 160C (180C conventional).
2. To make the hummus, place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz on high speed, adding warm water slowly to help with blitzing. Be careful not to add too much as you want a smooth, thick hummus. Season with salt and more lemon juice, if required. Set aside.
3. Place 2 tablespoons of the harissa paste in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and mix with a spoon to loosen up the paste. Add the carrots and mix well until coated. Place on a baking tray and put in the oven. Cook for 8 minutes, then stir well and cook for another 8 minutes or until just tender; carrots should be dark but still holding shape.
4. Place a frypan over medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add the carrots, extra 1 teaspoon of harissa paste and the pine nuts and cook for 2 minutes. Add the maple syrup and cook slightly to glaze the carrots. Remove from heat, add most of the dill, reserving some to serve, and season with salt and a touch of lemon juice.
5. To serve, place 3 large spoonfuls of hummus in a medium bowl, making a large well in the middle. Spoon over the glazed carrots, sprinkle with reserved chopped dill and serve with remaining harissa.

Serves 4

Sugar snap peas with ras-el-hanout butter and fried split peas

Store remaining ras-el-hanout butter in an airtight container in the fridge; place under the skin of a roast chicken, stir through cooked rice or use to saute fish.

INGREDIENTS

• 300g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 100g ras-el-hanout
• 100g yellow split peas
• vegetable oil, for frying
• olive oil, for drizzling
• 500g sugar snap peas, trimmed
• lemon juice, to taste

METHOD

1. Place the butter and 80g of the ras-el-hanout in a food processor and blend until smooth and well-combined. Refrigerate until needed.
2. Place the yellow split peas in a pot over medium heat. Cover with water and cook until the peas are soft but not overcooked, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and allow to dry on a tray, making sure they are very dry before frying.
3. Place a small pot over medium heat. Add enough vegetable oil to fry the split peas. Use a cooking thermometer to make sure oil has reached 180C before adding the split peas. Add split peas and cook for 4 minutes or until crunchy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Season with the remaining ras-el-hanout and salt. Set aside.
4. Place a medium frypan over high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add the sugar snap peas and cook for 2 minutes, allowing them to brown a little. Add 1-2 large tablespoons of the ras-el-hanout butter and allow to foam up. Season with a touch of lemon juice and salt, add the crunchy split peas, then immediately remove from heat to serve.

Serves 4