Muhammara: Red Pepper, Pomegranate & Walnut Dip

Tired of hummus? Try this other dip from the same region for a more complex, hotter taste. Muhammara can be served as an appetizer, or with kebabs as a dipping paste.

When going through this recipe, feel free to adjust all the ingredients to your taste. The olive oil gives the muhammara a creamier texture, so adjust accordingly (more for creamier, less for drier).

Ingredients	Quantity	Preparation
Red Peppers	2 large or 3 medium
Walnuts	1/2 cup	Shelled
Garlic	1 tsp	Crushed
Fresh breadcrumbs	1/2 cup
Red chillies	2 small pieces	Seeded & chopped
Olive oil	1/4 cup
Pomegranate seeds	1/4 cup
Lemon juice	2 tbs
Cumin	1 tsp	Powdered or ground
Red chilli flakes	1/2 tsp	Optional. Replace with another red chilli.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Cut the peppers into large, flat pieces. Arrange them skin side up in a baking dish & place in the oven for 10-20 minutes.
3. Once the skins turn black, remove the peppers and place them in a plastic bag. Allow the bag to cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
4. Once cooled, the skins should just peel off of the red peppers. Discard all the skins and process the peppers in a food processor until they turn into a fine paste. Remove and set aside.
5. Chop the walnuts, garlic and breadcrumbs until finely ground.
6. Add the peppers, chopped chillies, olive oil, pomegranates and lemon juice. Process in short bursts to combine.
7. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Use a spoon to stir in the cumin and chilli flakes.
8. Season with salt, and refridgerate overnight to allow the flavors to mellow.

Serving suggestions:

1. Decorate with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, or olives. Make a pattern that looks kinda cool. Check out mine below!
2. Serve with toasted flatbread, or my favorite: Falafel chips!.

Variations:

1. If you have access to pomegranate syrup, you could use 1 teaspoon of that instead.
2. Small red chillies... green chillies... doesn't make much of a difference for this recipe. Use either. But, you CANNOT replace the red bell peppers!
3. I wonder what it would taste like with almonds or pine nuts instead of walnuts...

Enjoy! And feel free to leave comments!