How Do I Love Thee Muhammara?
Kitchen Butterfly
Photo by James Ransom
- Serves
- 1 1/2 cups
- Prep Time
- 45 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 Minutes
I first tasted this at a conference for food bloggers in London, and I was SOLD. To make it, roasted red peppers are blitzed with toast, then spiced with the usual Levant suspects: pomegranate molasses, cumin, and Aleppo pepper. Make a lot, you won't regret it! To blacken the peppers, I skewer them with fondue forks and use those as the handle to cook them on my stove. To peel them after the perfunctory bagging, I start from the bottom end and keep a small knife handy to help scrape off tough bits. Whatever you do, DO NOT RINSE THE PEPPERS, as that will strip them of their flavor. I use almonds in this recipe because I love almonds, but the version I had in London was made with a combo of walnuts and cashews. You can make it however you like!
Ingredients
- 2 slices whole grain bread, toasted
- 80 gram raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon smoky paprika
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Aleppo or cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry-roasted cumin seeds
- 2 cloves of roasted or smoked garlic, smashed
- 2 red bell peppers, blackened, skinned, with veins and seeds removed
- 1 1/2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, plus extra to drizzle on top
- 20 milliliter olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Featured Video
Red pepper lovers, gather round! This spread is a satisfying, hearty alternative to your everyday hummus. The blend of walnuts and fresh bread crumbs gives a toothy, welcome mouthfeel, and the rather significant dose of cayenne (I didn't have Aleppo on hand) had me reaching for this to spread on sandwiches, top veggie lunch bowls (#notsaddesklunch-approved), and liven up some Greek yogurt. With that said, if you have a low spice tolerance, I recommend reducing the amounts called for here.
Directions
- Step 1
To a food processor, add the dry ingredients (bread, walnuts, paprika, pepper, and cumin seeds), followed by the garlic and cooked red peppers.
- Step 2
Blitz, stopping at regular intervals, until well combined. Scrape down the sides.
- Step 3
Add the liquids, then blitz again until well combined. Taste. You can increase the sweetness by adding more molasses, or amp up the sourness with a touch more lemon juice. Salt to taste, and serve with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
- Step 4
Use muhammara as a dip, a spread, or in place of pizza sauce. You can even add some stock and a touch of yogurt to make it into a spicy soup.