Muhummara is a classic condiment and dip in Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. Other spellings are moohummara or muhammara. This spread is fabulous because it’s healthy (I use a relatively small amount of oil in this version versus traditional versions) and so delicious you’ll want to have made much, much more! The roasted organic red bell peppers lend the sweetness, which is balanced out with a tiny amount of red chilies and the nutty, creaminess of raw walnuts. A little splash of acid from lemon juice, and this dish delivers on complex, rich, delectable flavor.
Ingredients
- 6 large red bell peppers, membrane, top, and seeds removed, sliced into quarters lengthwise
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus extra to coat bell peppers
- ¼ tsp sea salt plus a few pinches (or ⅜ tsp)
- ¼ to ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (about 20 turns of a peppermill)
- 2 medium-sized cloves garlic
- 1½ inch red Fresno chili
- ¾ cup raw walnuts
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 9 sprigs fresh parsley, stems removed
- Whole-wheat pitas
Instructions
Pooja’s Roasted Red Pepper Spread (Muhummara) by Pooja Mottl
Serves 8
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Drizzle pepper slices with olive oil, using your hands to fully coat pieces (front and back) and place, skin side up, onto roasting pan or baking sheet. Place pan in oven and roast for 30 minutes. Then turn up oven to broil (if possible) and broil for 3 to 4 minutes or until tops of peppers have blistered and charred. Remove pan from oven and allow peppers to cool for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350°.
2. Peel off skins of the peppers using fingers. Roughly chop all segments and place into blender.
3. Place remaining ingredients for spread into blender and blend until smooth. Transfer spread to dipping/serving bowl.
4. Place pitas in oven to warm and remove after 2 to 3 minutes. Cut pitas into 6 to 8 triangles for dipping. Dip pitas into red pepper spread and enjoy!
About this recipe
Recipe shared by Pooja Mottl for Edible Silicon Valley Magazine Issue 5 Winter 2014.
