Mouthful of spice is nice

Harissa Chicken Sandwiches with Goat Cheese and Patty Pans

       Lets have it Harissa. So i’ve had the itch to use this North African staple for a long time, but had always been unsure where to begin. Harissa’s roots can be traced back to Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Just like any food, the variety of its spices depend on where the food was produced, for this recipe I am using a Moroccan variety from Mustaphas. It can be found at most grocery stores with an ethnic foods section (look near Indian cuisine). The ingredients used to create this sauce are a fine blend of bell peppers, hot peppers, preserved lemon, tomatoes, garlic and other spices.

       Why not make a sandwich? I figured balance the hot sassy saltiness of the Harissa with an accepting protein; ground chicken. From there I added a creamy cheese; goat and a not too overpowering veg; patty pan squashes. Why patty pan? They are well, beautiful. Also they are the perfect size for sandwiches and stay tender even if you overcook them. Onions, for a tangy crunch and thick crusty bread for the sake of a good sandwich. Bad bread is never a way to start a good sandwich. Prepare yourself for a mouthful.
    

For the Patties

•  1 lb. of ground chicken
•  1/2 bunch of flat leaf Italian parsley, rough-chopped
•  2 Tbsp Harissa 
•  3 garlic cloves, run through a fine grater (I prefer using a microplane, but smashing/pressing/chopping gets the job done too)
•  a healthy dose of cracked black pepper

For the Sandwiches

• 2 to 3 medium-sized patty pan squashes (look for bright yellow skinned ones), sliced into 4 even rounds each
• 2 Tbsp plus another 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 pinches kosher salt and another healthy dose of cracked pepper
• around 4 Tbsp of goat cheese, figure around 1 Tbsp for each patty
• 1 crusty loaf of bread (I went with a Potato loaf from Grand Central Baking Company), sliced into desired thickness pieces (2 per sandwich), toasted
• 4 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 of a medium-sized red onion, sliced in thin slices
• additional Harissa if you want to up the heat ante on your sandwich

How

1.) Combine the ground chicken, rough-chopped flat leaf parsley, Harissa, pulverized garlic, and pepper together in a medium-sized bowl. (I find that hands work best for ground meats not only because its fun to squish raw meat between your fingers but you know exactly how well you have combined your ingredients.) 

2.) Split the chicken mix into 4 equal parts. Form patties by rolling them slightly into balls, then slightly pressing down on them. (You will probably learn quickly that ground chicken is absolutely more messy than ground beef, so make sure to scrape the excess from your hands to add back to the patties.) Let patties rest in fridge for at least a half an hour to firm up and allow flavors to meld. (Can also be made 1 to 2 days in advance as well as frozen.)

3.) In a large frying pan, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. While heating oil, sprinkle salt and pepper over one side of the sliced patty pans. Place seasoned side down in oil, repeat salt and pepper to other side of patty pans. Cook until the edges brown and squash becomes tender. Figure 10 minutes a side on medium heat. Remove squash from pan.

4.) Return same frying pan to medium-high heat and add another Tbsp of olive oil. After oil is heated, carefully add your patties and cook until firm as well as no visible pink inside patty. Internal temperature of patties should reach 165 degrees. 

5.) With patties still warm, spread about a Tbsp+ of goat cheese on each.

6.) Time to build: Spread mayonnaise on one half of toasted slices, top with cheesed-patty. (Atop cheese is a good place to drizzle extra Harissa if desired.) For the other half of the slices, add one thin level of sliced red onion and top with 3ish slices of squash. 

7.) Press the two halves together and voila! Serve and enjoy. Yields 4.

Substitutions

-Ground turkey could be used in place of chicken.

-Cilantro could be used in place of flat leaf parsley. 

-Yellow squash and zucchini could be used in place patty pan squashes.

-Feta cheese could be used in place of goat cheese.