Try this Muhammara recipe.
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon whole wheat bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon spanish smoked paprika (or ground aleppo pepper if
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin toasted and freshly ground
- Carbohydrate 19.7142149998556 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 43.9940000308088 g
- Fiber 7.11820000970942 g
- Protein 17.1839900118527 g
- Saturated Fat 3.10858800170543 g
- Serving Size 1 1 ½ Cup (210g)
- Sodium 57.5294999576103 mg
- Sugar 12.5960149901462 g
- Trans Fat 3.94747000286815 g
- Calories 511 calories
Step-by-step
- If you have a gas stove top or a propane torch, char the outsides of the peppers until completely blackened. Seal them in a paper bag and allow them to steam until cool. If you don’t have a gas stove or torch you can cut them in half and place them under a broiler, skin side up, to achieve the same effect.
- Meanwhile, lightly toast the walnuts in a dry pan.
- In a food processor, add the whole wheat bread crumbs (I use a piece of whole wheat pita bread, which is probably what they do in Aleppo--and toasted it lightly, then pulsed it in the food processor alone until pulverized).
- Peel the charred skins off of the peppers, remove the stems and seeds, and add them to the food processor along with all of the other ingredients.
- Pulse into a smooth sauce. Don’t over-do it or the walnut oil will separate and break your sauce.
Charring bell peppers over an open flame requires constant rotation until the skin blisters entirely black, ensuring the flesh beneath softens completely without cooking through to mush. Placing the hot peppers immediately inside a closed paper bag traps steam, loosening the charred outer layer so it slips off under running water after ten minutes of resting. While the peppers steam, lightly toast the walnut halves in a dry skillet over medium heat until they smell aromatic and darken slightly by a shade. Monitoring the food processor is the single most critical factor for success when combining these elements. Pulse the motor in short, sharp bursts rather than running it continuously; processing past a coarse purée releases the natural oils from the walnuts too quickly, causing the mixture to separate into a greasy paste. Whole wheat bread crumbs act as a vital stabilizer, absorbing excess moisture from the peppers and binding the olive oil and pomegranate syrup into a cohesive emulsion. Toasting the cumin seeds whole before grinding them on a microplane or in a mortar yields a sharper, more volatile aromatic profile than pre-ground powder. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between pulses to ensure uniform incorporation of the smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.
