Can we just call it yummmmuhammara? Versatile sauces that taste like sunshine & make my whole house smell like heaven are really my thing. I really should have a separate section of the blog just for these kinds of wonderful sauces & Muhammara is one of those. It has the bright flavors of the red pepper & the lemon juice, the earthy flavors of the garlic, cumin, the fire-roasted taste from charring the peppers, the spicy bite from the red pepper flake & the sweet from the date syrup. So much going on! If you are a family that serves hummus as an appetizer, Muhammara is a great second dip to serve along with your veggies & pita. If you want to grill or broil a fish that is bursting with flavor pour a generous serving on Muhammara before cooking. If you want to make pasta that sings, use Muhammara as your new sauce. This Fill Yer Fridge sauce may just be your new best friend.
This is what it looks like when you char red peppers (burt, blistering & peeling skin are all fine):
charred Red Peppers
And this is what it looks like during the blending/pureéing part. I had just added the bread crumbs & toasted walnuts at this point. It needed more bread crumbs after this blend, by the way…
1 Tablespoon Date Syrup (can substitute Pomegranate syrup if you have any)
1/2 Cup Walnuts
6 Tablespoons breadcrumbs (I blitzed old, stale homemade bread)
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
1
Char red peppers over an open flame. Put peppers in a bowl & cover with cling film for about 10 minutes. It will make it much easier to remove skin. Remove both skin & seeds & rough chop peppers.
2
Add peppers, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, date syrup in food processor (or blender if that is what you have) & pureé.
3
Toast walnuts in a dry, cast iron pan for a few minutes.
4
Add walnuts & bread crumbs to pepper pureé.
5
Add Kosher salt and taste. Feel free to add more cumin, red pepper flakes, and date syrup to your taste.
6
Let sit for 10 minutes so that bread crumbs soak up any extra liquid. Can be eaten immediately as a wonderful shmeer for bread, a pasta sauce, a sauce for roasted veggies, etc. Some serve this by making a depression in the center of the bowl of Muhammara & drizzling extra olive oil into the center. Spoon leftovers an airtight jar with lid & place in fridge. Good for 2-3 days in fridge.
