Epic muhammara

Muhammara is a red pepper dip that makes a fine addition to a big mezze feast. Try Georgina Hayden’s epic recipe and serve with her olive bread.

Muhammara is a red pepper dip that makes a fine addition to a big mezze feast. Try Georgina Hayden’s epic recipe and serve with her olive bread.

Ingredients

You’ll also need …

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Using long-handled tongs, grill the peppers over an open flame (gas hob or barbecue – see tip) for 15-20 minutes until tender and charred all over. Put in a bowl and cover with cling film to loosen the skins. Once cool, peel off the skin and discard, along with the seeds and stems.
Crush the garlic and chilli in a large pestle and mortar (or whizz in a food processor) with a good pinch of salt. Add the cumin seeds and pound/whizz again. Roughly chop the peppers, then add to the mortar/processor with the breadcrumbs, lemon juice and 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses. Work together until well combined but with some texture.
Add the walnuts to the mortar/processor along with a good pinch of black pepper. Add enough extra-virgin olive oil to loosen, then taste and tweak the seasoning. Spoon onto a serving plate, drizzle with the rest of the pomegranate molasses and a little more oil, then serve sprinkled with the pomegranate seeds and pul biber.

Nutrition: per serving

You can also cook the peppers under a very hot preheated grill, turning occasionally, until charred.
The muhammara will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Pul biber (or aleppo pepper) is coarsely ground Turkish chilli flakes with a deep flavour but mild heat. Buy from Waitrose, or online at souschef.co.uk. If you can’t find it, use good-quality paprika instead.