Muhammara - Red bell pepper spread
Muhammara is a delicious spread made with roasted red peppers, walnuts, olive oil, pomegranate molasses and spices like cumin and paprika. It's a perfect aperitif dip, served with Lebanese bread, raw vegetables or nachos.
SERVING:4
PRINT
PIN
SAVE
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large red peppers
- 1/2 chili pepper or the tip of a teaspoon of Espelette pepper optional
- 70 g (2.5 oz) walnuts
- 35 g (1.2 oz) breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 to 4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses to taste
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 45 g (1.6 oz) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice optional
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 heaping tablespoon tahini
PREPARATION
Grill the peppers
- On the gas stove: Place the peppers on a grilling rack over the gas stove or on the barbecue and let them grill. Turn them regularly until they are evenly grilled, with a blackened, blistered skin.
- On an induction hob: Place the peppers in a frying pan, turning them quite often until they are blistered with black spots.
- In the oven :
- Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
- Place the peppers on a baking tray lined with lightly oiled parchment paper, brush with a little oil and place in the oven for around 35 minutes.
- Turn them over onto the other side when they have darkened and blistered.
- Once grilled, place in a plastic bag or filmed salad bowl to "sweat" for a few minutes.
- Remove skin and seeds. You can run them briefly under running water and leave them to drain in a colander for around 15 minutes.
Prepare the muhammara spread:
- Roast walnuts in a skillet for 5-10 minutes, stirring to enhance flavor. Leave to cool.
- Place the roasted peppers and chili in the bowl of a food processor with the garlic, half the olive oil, paprika, salt and a pinch of pepper, and blend well to form a paste.
- Then add walnuts, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons molasses, tahini, tomato paste and cumin.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Taste and adjust the taste, adding a little more molasses if necessary, and season to taste with cumin, salt, Espelette pepper or pepper if you like your dishes spicy.
- Serve immediately, or keep in the fridge for a few hours, covered with cling film, until ready to eat.
- Place the muhammara on a serving plate, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with walnuts and paprika. Add a sprinkling of crushed walnuts in the center, a sprinkling of chopped parsley, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
- Serve with pita bread, nachos or raw vegetables.
Notes
Muhammara storage:
You can store it for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight glass container. Shrink-wrap on contact to preserve freshness and prevent drying.
For maximum freshness, add a drizzle of olive oil on top.
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