Muhammara

I’ve been wanting to add healthy snacks to my food blog, and this recipe fit the theme perfectly.

Muhammara! A common middle eastern dip originating from Syria.

Think of it has a hummus, but with no chickpeas or tahini. This is based off roasted red bell peppers and walnuts.

1 (16-ounce/450g) jar roasted red bell peppers
1 cup (112g) walnuts
½ cup (40g) panko breadcrumbs
1 fat clove garlic,
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
2 tablespoons pure pomegranate molasses
½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper (I used Flatiron)
½ teaspoon ground cumin,
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Drain and roughly chop the peppers. You want them more dry then wet. Or, roast your own peppers.

In a skillet, toast the walnuts for about 3 minutes. Then add the panko and toast 3 more minutes. Keep tossing, you want the panko (or whatever breadcrumb you use) to be a golden brown.

Then pour these and a food processor with the garlic and chop till a nice fine grain. Add everything else and blend away.

If you can’t find Aleppo peppers, crushed red pepper is fine. I used Flatiron’s 4 pepper blend.

Pour into a plate/bowl, drizzle with olive oil, add some crushed walnuts. Traditional pomegranate seeds and mint would be a garnish as well.

I did order a bottle of pomegranate molasses on Amazon for this recipe, it it will last a LONG time.

Serve with chips or sliced veggies. Traditionally it would be served with toasted pita wedges.

The result is an incredibly healthy spread a nice blend of superfoods (walnuts, olive oil, pomegranate).