Muhammara

• servings: 6

Ingredients

5 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and quartered

1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 plum or Roma tomatoes, halved length-wise, stems removed

1 red chili, stem removed

5 tbsp olive oil, divided

Salt

Freshly ground blackpepper

1½ tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

8 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses, divided

100 g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

100 g pomegranate seeds, plus 1 tbsp for serving

1 tbsp parsley leaves, roughly chopped, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F.

2. Add the peppers, onion, tomatoes, and chili to a large parchment-lined baking tray. Toss with 3 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and plenty of black pepper.

3. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

4. While the vegetables are roasting, add the tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of the oil to a small frying pan set over medium heat and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste is a deep red and is caramelized. Set aside to cool.

5. Add the cumin and coriander seeds to a small pan and toast over medium heat, stirring frequently, until aromatic and you can hear a light popping noise, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Remove the spices from the heat and grind into a coarse powder with a mortar and pestle.

7. Remove the peppers and onions from the baking tray, add the garlic cloves, and mix lightly. Put the tray back in the oven and roast for another 20 minutes or until vegetables are softened and lightly charred.

8. Once they're cool enough to handle, peel and discard the tomato and pepper skins (don’t worry if you can’t remove it all).

9. Add the peeled roasted vegetables, the tomato paste mixture, the ground spices, 1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of pepper to a food processor and pulse into a coarse paste, leaving the mixture slightly chunky.

10. Add the walnuts and pulse just enough to roughly blitz (you want the mixture to still have some texture). Stir in the pomegranate seeds.

11. To serve, transfer the muhammara to a serving plate or bowl and create a slight well in the center. Garnish with the extra pomegranate seeds and parsley, then drizzle the remaining tablespoon each of pomegranate molasses and olive oil over the top.

Notes

Roasted or grilled vegetables are the base for many salads and spreads around the Mediterranean. There are countless variations, depending on the vegetables, spices, aromatics, and more, but what they all share is an intensity of flavor that comes from a specific cooking process: Slowly roasting or grilling vegetables creates concentrated, caramelized flavors that prime the palate for more complex courses later in a meal. Muhammara is a roasted pepper dip with origins in Syria and Lebanon. Recipes differ from region to region or even from one Middle Eastern household to the next; Yotam’s is a simple version made by roasting all of the vegetables together in the oven and blending them together, then incorporating toasted walnuts and fresh pomegranate seeds at the end. Some recipes call for adding bread or more nuts to the mix to make a thicker spread, but he prefers the lightness of this version. Serve it alone with warm flatbread or as part of a larger dinner spread.