Harissa

Tear the stemmed, seeded chiles into rough pieces. Toast them briefly in a dry pan over medium heat, pressing them flat for 20 to 30 seconds a side until they smell warm and faintly smoky and pucker — do not let them blacken, which turns the paste bitter. Cover with just-boiled water and weight them down with a plate so they stay submerged. Soak 20 to 30 minutes until completely soft and leathery-pliable. Drain, but reserve a little of the steeping liquid.

In the same dry pan over medium heat, toast the caraway, coriander, and cumin seeds, shaking constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until they darken a shade, turn fragrant, and the first seeds begin to pop. Tip them out immediately so they don't scorch in the hot pan, let them cool a minute, then grind to a fine powder in a mortar or spice grinder. This bloomed, freshly ground spice is the backbone that separates real harissa from plain chile paste.

Pound the garlic with the salt in a mortar to a smooth paste — the salt acts as an abrasive to break it down. Add the drained chiles a handful at a time and pound and grind, working in circles, until they collapse into a thick, coarse paste. Work in the ground spice. This takes patience by hand; a food processor works too, pulsing and scraping down, with a splash of the reserved soaking liquid only if needed to keep the blades catching.

Beat the lemon juice and most of the olive oil into the paste until glossy and emulsified, holding back a little oil. Taste and adjust salt, lemon, and heat. Pack into a clean jar, pressing out air pockets, and smooth the top flat. Pour the reserved oil over the surface to seal it from air. Cover and refrigerate; the flavors deepen and marry overnight. Top up the oil cap each time you dig in, and it will keep for several weeks.