For the Christmas holidays, I had a plethora of food ideas that I wanted to do back in my kitchen; Muhammara is one of those dishes that I have never tried before, but its simplicity and track record from where it came from made it to the top of my to-do list (which I seriously need to get going with). If you didn’t understand the whole track record reference, its because it comes from the Mediterranean and I have had great experiences with cooking Mediterranean food; we just naturally get along really well, just as much I fail at making French food so bad that it doesn’t make it to the website (oops!).

Whenever I picture Mediterranean food in my mind, I always imagine a zesty, summery scene with an outdoor table (loaded with food, obviously) outside an architectural masterpiece overlooking a royal blue sea. And of course there’ll be an olive vine and a citrus orchard just around the corner. I could go on and on. I’m basically trying to explain the vibe you’ll get after eating Muhammara!

So what is Muhammara?

Great question! It’s basically a spicy dip that’s made from red peppers, walnuts, bread crumbs, pomegranate, chili powder, roasted garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice all blended into a smooth paste to befriend some chips, bread, lavash and more. I can already picture the Mediterranean folk gathered around that table, what about you?

You essentially roast the red peppers to impart that charred, smoky flavour and blend it with walnuts and breadcrumbs for some body, pomegranate molasses for sweetness, olive oil and roasted garlic (who doesn’t love that combination?) and chili powder and lemon juice for that extra pop in your mouth! It’ll always be a great party hit because even if you make it last-minute as an after thought, it won’t taste like it and such is the taste of Muhammara!

Muhammara:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 8-10 walnuts (or almonds)
• 1 slice of brown bread (blitz to make breadcrumbs)
• 3-4 large cloves of garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. pomegranate molasses
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt

Roast the bell peppers on an open flame until charred all around. Remove the blackened skin with your fingers and roughly chop. Roughly chop the walnuts or almonds. Roast the garlic cloves in some of the measured olive oil in a pan and set aside (along with the garlicy oil). Blend all of the ingredients, except for the lemon juice and salt in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.