Muhammarra – Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread

Among my arsenal of “secret” ingredients is pomegranate molasses, a Middle Eastern condiment that’s made by boiling pomegranate juice until it becomes thick and syrupy. It has an intriguing, sweet-tart taste and deep, dark treacly consistency.

I saw this recipe for muhammara in the very first issue of Saveur magazine, 16 years ago (!). It’s hard to believe it’s been that long since I first made it but I guess that makes the recipe a true classic in my file.

The premiere issue of Saveur - Summer 1994

The recipe that oringinally appeared in the magazine came from Paula Wolfert’s The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean. I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years, and it’s turned into something I make instead of the ubiquitous hummus when I want to serve a snack or appetizer.

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread

2 red bell peppers, roasted and peeled
2 slices rustic bread, torn into pieces
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (found in ethnic, specialty & some grocery stores)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place peppers, bread, garlic and walnuts in a food processor workbowl and process for about 1 minute, scraping down sides once. Add the remaining ingredients and process until completely smooth, another minute or two. Taste and season with additional salt and lemon juice if needed. Makes about 2 cups

Jennie
March 25, 2010
7:19 pm
Wow, that looks delicious! I’m always on the lookout for new, healthy dips to try with my daily snack of veggies (plain hummus just gets old sometimes!) and this one is definitely going in my to-try pile. Beautiful photo, too!
Nupur
March 25, 2010
7:27 pm
The color is stunning!

Karen- do you roast the peppers yourself or do you think jarred roasted peppers would be fine in this recipe? Thanks.
Lil
March 26, 2010
8:00 am
was looking for a spectacular recipe for my Art Dept meeting and this is just right….sounds fabulous and I am off to get ingredients. Thanks, Lil
Kalynskitchen
March 26, 2010
8:02 am
Okay, I’m going to blow kisses now. This is something I tried at Mazza in Salt Lake City (a fantastic middle eastern restaurant) and absolutely loved. Your recipe is the first one I’ve seen that sounds like how it’s described on the menu. Definitely bookmarked!
Maria
March 26, 2010
8:09 am
I can’t wait to make this. I love this dip!
Cookin' Canuck
March 26, 2010
9:26 am
So simple and yet so rich in flavor. I will definitely be making this for my family.
Karen
March 26, 2010
11:49 am
Nupur – I usually roast them myself, but you could easily sub the jarred for convenience. You lose a little of the smoky flavor, but still good!
Karen
March 26, 2010
11:51 am
So glad this will be what you make! Hope it makes your meeting spectacular. Cheers, Lil.
Cherine
March 28, 2010
7:00 am
Love this dip! will def. be making it soon
Valen
March 28, 2010
10:38 am
This looks so rich and delicious!
Yuri
March 28, 2010
3:58 pm
My family LOVED this dip.
Meal Makeover Mom Janice
April 2, 2010
9:48 am
I just printed this recipe and plan to make it soon- maybe for my dinner party tomorrow night. I don’t have pomegranate molasses but have everything else on hand. Do you suppose I could use regular molasses? Thanks!
Kulsum at JourneyKitchen
August 8, 2010
4:40 am
I live in the middle east and have Muhammara often. And I thought it is divine dip.But then I went on vacation to Turkey recently and had this alternate version with same ingredients but a completely different tasting heaven. It had roasted red and green bell pepper chopped finely, with the pom molasses, lemon, salt and pepper and walnuts (chopped as well) with lots of good olive oil. I betrayed Muhammara ever since.

But here I’m still looking at Muhammara and may be a bit guilty of how I left my beloved behind .

Thanks for confusing me again !! :D
Tracy
August 10, 2010
8:01 pm
I just made it and it is a bit watery-I am serving it Thursday-any suggestions? It is so pretty. What can I do?
Karen
August 10, 2010
8:27 pm
Tracy, try adding a little bit more nuts and or bread crumbs to your mixture and running through the food processor again – it should thicken up.