Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip (Muhammara) Recipe

Photo: Muhammara

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip (Muhammara)i Recipe.  Enjoy the good taste of Arabic Food and learn how to make Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip (Muhammara).

Muhammara hails from the Middle East…Syria to be exact. It’s got an intriguing name, and it’s flavor is intriguing, as well.

To make it, you start by roasting three red bell peppers – I do this over the gas burners of my stove- or, feel free to use an 8 ounce jar of roasted peppers. 

Once you’ve rinsed, peeled, cored, and seeded the peppers, all you have to do is blend them up with a few more ingredients: toasted walnuts, fresh garlic, and pomegranate molasses among them. Muhammara usually includes bread crumbs, as well, but in the interest of keeping this dip gluten-free, I left them out. If you want to use about 2/3 cup (regular or homemade gluten-free) breadcrumbs, go right ahead: just be aware that the color of the dip will not be as vibrant if you do, and you’ll probably have to add more oil or water (about 1/4 cup) to thin out your Muhammara while blending.

If you don’t have pomegranate molasses, you can substitute maple syrup or honey, but I’d add a bit more lemon juice to compensate for the subtle tartness that the pomegranate molasses provides. Muhammara is often made and garnished with fresh mint leaves, but I’ve used cilantro here: use whichever you like, or leave them out.

Ingredients:

*3 roasted red bell peppers
*1/2 cup walnuts, toasted in a 300 degree F. oven for 10-12 minutes
*1/4 small red onion, or more to taste
*3 cloves of garlic, peeled
*1 teaspoon ground cumin
*1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or use 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes); note that I've seen recipes that call for a whole jalapeño pepper instead...try this if you want the dip to be spicy
*1 tablespoon toasted walnut oil (or olive oil)
*2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
*1 1/2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
*1/2 teaspoon sea salt
*handful of fresh cilantro, plus a few more coarsely chopped leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine everything but the cilantro leaves you'll use as a garnish in a blender or food processor. Blend/process until the dip is smooth but still has some texture.

2. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the coarsely chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with vegetable crudités and/or crackers, pita bread, or baguette slices.

Adapted from Good Food to Share (Williams-Sonoma): Recipes for Entertaining with Family & Friends and Closet Cooking.

You can spread this dip onto baguette or warm pita slices. Or, for a low cal/carb, gluten-free option, spoon it onto California endive leaves*, or use vegetables, such as raw carrots and/or celery, as “dippers”. Another great option is to serve it with your favorite gluten-free crackers.

Source: Healthy Green Kitchen
 
More Arabic Food Recipes:

Mutabbag Bel Laham
Kibbeh Harira
Shakreyah with Broad Beans  
Lebanese Kibbeh Patties    
Kibbeh Bi Laban      
Chicken Koftas with Cucumbers and Yogurt 
 
Save and share Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip (Muhammara) Recipe 

Want to share this recipe with your family and friends? Click the button below to send them an email or save this to your favorite social network.