Muhammara (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)
Need a break from the good old hummus? Looking for a good dip that you can serve at one of your summer gatherings? The answer is: Muhammara! A Middle Eastern spread made with roasted red peppers and walnuts.
(Today’s post is sponsored by the awesome folks at Mezzetta.)
It’s officially summer, you guys!
And that means it’s officially grilling season, picnic season and all things outside season. I mean, we’ve all been doing all these things since Memorial Day, but Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year – was yesterday, so we can now proclaim summer time!
We even got a rare strawberry moon with the solstice! Did you see it? I didn’t! I never see those things until later in the news. Except this one time when I read beforehand that we would get a super moon, or blue moon, or whatever the trendy phenomenon was. So, even though I was tired, I waited until late and went outside and guess what? It was no big deal. Just a boring tiny moon!
Tim and I proceeded to take pictures a la Tower of Pisa style, but with me “holding the moon” in between my thumb and index finger. Ha! At least we were able to laugh at the situation.
But, anyways, it’s summer. And we should throw a party to celebrate!
The Muhammara – a Middle Eastern dip that originated in Aleppo, Syria – is a delicious and easy option if you’re looking for an appetizer to serve at your next soiree.
All you have to do is toss all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth! The beautiful, bright colored dip will be ready to serve in less than 5 minutes.
No more last minute frantically running up and down the store-made dips aisle of your supermarket, just to end up grabbing the same old container of hummus. Hummus is delicious, no question, but your guests might be a little tired of seeing it at every single party!
To make my life even easier, I use a jar of Roasted Bell Peppers from Mezzetta.
I don’t know about you, but I am strongly avoiding turning my oven on. Summer just started, but we are seeing temperatures in the high 80s here in the East Coast! So I’m really glad Mezzetta roasted my bell peppers for me.
If you’ve been following my food journey for a while now, you know how much I love Mezzetta’s products. I’ve made several recipes using not only their peppers, but also their olives and tomato sauces!
Mezzetta Peppers are the number 1 jarred peppers in the United States, harvested at the peak of ripeness from local farmers around the world, and infused with delicious flavors from their proprietary brines!
The only work you’ll have to do is to open a jar. Can’t get much better than that, my friend! ?
If you’ve read this post so far and is still trying to figure out how to say “Muhammara”, don’t fret, I had to Google it too! ??? It is pronounced ‘mmmhamara‘ and means “very red”.
No IPA here, just me trying to write the way I say it, by prolonging the “m” at the beginning. Got it? That’s the best you’ll get from me, given that I don’t speak Arabic. So don’t go showing this to anyone, okay? ? If you happen to speak Arabic and can help a sister out, just leave a comment below correcting my pronunciation. I love learning new things!
Also, before I offend someone, let me mention that this dip is also found in Levantine and Turkish cuisines. In western Turkey you will find it as acuka.
The Muhammara is very versatile in its uses: it is a great dip served with pita bread or chips but also a great spread for sandwiches and a tasty sauce or marinade for grilled chicken, fish and meat. I was even tempted to add it to my pasta!
The pomegranate molasses really makes a difference in this recipe, so I strongly urge you not to skip it. I was able to find it at Whole Foods, but if you can’t find it anywhere, you can make your own!
And, finally, some good news. The folks at Mezzetta are so awesome that they are hosting a giveaway with some HOT prizes, including a Weber Grill. It runs until July 15th, 2016, so hurry and enter now.
Muhammara (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted red peppers
- 1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (preferably Aleppo), or to taste
- 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses ***
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons bread crumbs
- Salt, to taste
- Pita bread, for serving
Instructions
Notes
If you can't find pomegranate molasses at your grocery store, here's a good recipe so you can make it at home!
10 Comments on “Muhammara (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)”
Wow, you sure brought back a cool memory. I had this in Istanbul 2 years ago. Besides endless varieties of lentil soup and THE best tomatoes I ever had in my life, this was a standout. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks Olivia. :)
I’ve never tried this- it looks great!!
Omg, how is it that I’ve never had Muhammara??? I love middle eastern cuisine, so I have GOT to make this dip! Looks amazing! Cheers, girlfriend!
What a delicious looking recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m half middle eastern, with my father originating from Aleppo. We prepare this recipe for special occasions, so I’m very familiar with it. We personally don’t add scallions, nor cumin, but aside from the that I can confirm that this recipe is legit. To get an even more authentic taste, we throw fresh red peppers in the blender, then boil it down until we get a thin paste. You can use this paste, or to intensify the flavor and color, my father puts the paste in the oven to further dry it out.
Muhammara also means roasted (red peppers)
Its woreth noting that the flavour from charred fresh peppers is much sweeter sweeter than using ones from a jar. and the texture is softer. Alsp, if you have the patience, very fine chopping with a knife gives a better texture than a food processor which maxes it all a little too pasty. I’d also leave out the cumin and scallions, but I have seen it with a litrtle parsely included. Its one of those recipies thats very widely adapted according to region and personal taste.
Muhammara is the formal pronunciation, sounds as its written (though the “h” is slightly sinbilant, almost as if you are exhaling through a a sore throat… Not easy to get right!) . Mm’hamara is a more idiomatic version. As Rafik pointed out it also means roasted or burnt (made red), sharing the same etymological root as the word red (Ahmar).
Love this! After adding 2 cloves of garlic, this tasted exactly like what I’ve tasted in Yerevan (Lavash Restaurant makes divine muhammara).
Thanks so much!
Can you freeze this?
Yes!