This muhammara recipe is made with roasted red pepper and walnuts. This spread is quite popular in the Middle East — you'll understand why when you make it can't stop eating it.
Ingredients
- olive oil: 4 Tbsp (divided)
- ¼ cups raw walnut halves: 1 piece
- bread crumbs: 0.33333 cup (fresh)
- fire-roasted red bell peppers - peeled: 1 cup (seeded, chopped)
- garlic cloves: 2 piece (crushed)
- lemon juice: 2 Tbsp
- pomegranate molasses: 2 tsp
- salt, plus more: 1 tsp (if needed)
- paprika: 1 tsp
- Aleppo pepper flakes or other red pepper flakes, plus a pinch or so: 1 tsp (for garnish)
- cumin: 0.5 tsp
- cayenne pepper: 0.5 tsp
- Italian parsley: 1 Tbsp (for garnish, chopped)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook and stir frequently until walnuts smell toasted and are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer walnuts to a plate to cool. Reserve 2 or 3 to coarsely chop and use for garnish.
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Place the skillet over medium heat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle in bread crumbs; cook and stir frequently until crumbs turn golden brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle onto plate with walnuts.
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Place peppers in bowl of a food processor. Add walnuts, toasted bread crumbs, garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, salt, paprika, Aleppo pepper flakes, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
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Pulse on and off, scraping mixture down occasionally, until mixture is fairly fine and smooth. Transfer to a bowl; cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
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Transfer to a shallow serving bowl. Use the back of a spoon to swirl indentations on the surface to capture the garnishes. Garnish with reserved chopped walnuts, a drizzle of olive oil, pepper flakes, and chopped parsley. Chef John
