Week 13: Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)

This week we really wanted to celebrate the delicious sweet peppers we’ve been getting in the past couple shares (and will continue to get!). Muhammara is a tasty dip made with a foundation of roasted red peppers and walnuts. It’s a but spicy, a bit sweet, a bit smoky, and quite filling. Peppers are easy to roast – I used the broiler on my oven, and kept a close eye while the skins charred. Then you can just toss them in a bowl, cover with a plate, and let them steam up in there for a little while – this makes it easier to remove the skins. You can of course also use a grill or the stovetop if you have a gas stove.

Enjoy this dip with pita bread or chips, with carrots, as a spread on a sandwich on in a wrap. It’s really something special.

Muhammara

This recipe is adapted from New York Times Cooking. The original recipe uses scallions (3-4, chopped), which would be a great addition! I'm definitely going to make this recipe again when we get sweet peppers and scallions in the same share.

Ingredients

  • 2 sweet red peppers roasted, with skins and seeds removed
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
  • 3 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes preferably Marash or Aleppo, more to taste
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ cup walnuts lightly toasted
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs

Instructions

  1. Combine pepper, lemon juice, cumin, salt, pomegranate molasses, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (I started with this, since you can always add the other 1/2 teaspoon later is you want it spicier),, olive oil and the walnuts in a food processor and purée until mostly smooth.
  2. Add 4 tablespoons bread crumbs and pulse to combine. If mixture is still too loose to hold its shape, add remaining bread crumbs and pulse again. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes.
  3. Scrape the spread into a bowl. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, cut veggies, or as a spread.