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1
Drain olives, rinse under running water, place in large bowl and cover with fresh water; soak 15 minutes for canned, 4 hours for oil-cured, to remove excess salt; drain, rinse again; drain well.
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2
Toast cumin, coriander and caraway seeds in a hot, dry skillet to release flavor and fragrance, being careful not to scorch or burn them.
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3
Cool.
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4
Grind the toasted seeds fine; if using a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to such purposes, add dried chiles here and continue to grind.
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5
If using electric appliances, transfer finely ground spices/dried chiles to a food processor or blender here; if using a mortar & pestle, continue with it.
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6
To ground spices, add garlic, salt, and fresh chiles, if using them; grind to a paste.
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7
Add red bell pepper and olive oil and pound or puree to a paste (your preference here, I like it rather fine); adding more oil, drop by drop, if desired for consistency.
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8
Taste and add a touch more salt, if necessary.
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9
In a large, nonreactive or non-stainable bowl, stir together olives and harissa; cover, chill and marinate at least 6 hours and up to a week before serving.
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10
For best flavor, bring olives in harissa to room temperature before serving.
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11
I have kept them up to 4 weeks (if they last that long!
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12
),well covered and chilled; with a layer of olive oil floated on top.
