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.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 ¼ cups raw walnut halves
- ⅓ cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1 cup fire-roasted red bell peppers – peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes or other red pepper flakes, plus a pinch or so for garnish
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley for garnish
Steps
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
