Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Dip + Spread (Muhammara)

Roasted red pepper and walnut dip is delicious on its own, dolloped over chevre, tossed with pasta or spread as a base on pizza

One day, shortly after I was first married, I spied a cookbook in the sale bin at our local grocery store called Mediterranean Cooking by Paula Wolfert. I grabbed it in a flash. She’s my favourite Mediterranean cooking writer so it was a lucky find.

I have many favourite recipes from the book but the recipe I have made most often over the years has been Muhammara, a classic roasted red pepper walnut dip.

I have adapted the recipe considerably over time, but the spirit of the recipe comes from her book and she was the one who first introduced me to it.

I love walnuts so I kept adding more and more. And I add lemon on top of the pomegranate molasses. I add a bit more olive oil than her original recipe calls for too.

This dip is delicious on its own, dolloped over chevre, tossed with pasta or spread as a base on pizza.

 

Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Dip + Spread (Muhammara)

• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• ¾ cup walnut halves, toasted
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 ½ cups roughly chopped roasted red pepper
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. pomegranate molasses (can omit if you don’t have it).
• 1/3 cup good olive oil
• Salt to taste

In a food processor whirr the bread crumbs, walnuts and garlic until the nuts are finely chopped.

Add the red peppers and whirr to a rough paste. Scrape down the sides of the processor, add remaining ingredients and whirr until smooth.

Add salt to taste.