1008. Muhammara

Muhammara literally translates to "the reddened one." It is an amazing mezze that is fragrant, pungent, and bold. Despite it commonly accompanying other mezzes like hummus, tabboula, and kubba on both Arab and Turkish tables alike, it is somewhat less popular than the rest, despite rivaling each one of them in its flavor.
Simply put, muhammara is a thick, chunky paste made from roasted red capsicum peppers and chopped walnuts. As if that weren't flavor enough, bold touches of pomegranate molasses, lemon, cumin, and garlic join the party. Serve with some good bread.

Ingredients:

3 red capsicums
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp cumin
pinch chili flakes
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup walnuts, fine chop
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Roast the whole capsicums in a 400F oven for 30 minutes, turning once. They will be blackened. Put the hot capsicums in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Alternatively, put in a ziplock bag and seal.
Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel the discard the skin, core, and seeds. Place in a food processor.
Add the breadcrumbs, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, cumin, chili flakes, garlic, and salt. Blitz until combined but be careful to not over-process because you do want some texture.
Stir in the walnuts and olive oil. I like to leave the muhammara refrigerated overnight to give the flavors a chance to develop.
To serve, spread the muhammara in the serving dish, making ridges with the edge of a spoon. Drizzle with some extra pomegranate molasses and olive oil.

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