Muhamara

La storia di questo piatto

Muhamara belongs to the Levant, a table where red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate meet in one deep, brick-red spread. It is a dish of the shared mezze spread, made for passing around and for tearing bread together.

Ingredienti

• 4 pieces Red bell peppers
• 150 g Shelled walnuts
• 40 g Toasted pita bread (for the sauce)
• 80 g Pomegranate (seeds)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (pul biber) or red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Pomegranate molasses
• 100 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 20 ml Extra virgin olive oil (for finishing)
• 1 pinch Salt
• 200 g Pita bread (to serve)

Preparazione

1. Roast the peppers directly over a gas flame (10-15 minutes) or under the grill of a very hot oven (25-30 minutes), turning them with tongs until the skin is black and blistered on all sides. The charring is intentional: it gives a smoky flavour and makes the skin easy to peel. As soon as they are done, place them in a paper bag or a covered bowl so the steam softens the skin.
2. Let the peppers rest in the bag for 10 minutes, until they can be handled without burning yourself: during this wait, prepare the walnuts and bread in parallel as described in step 3. Then lightly wet your fingers and remove the skin, without rinsing the peppers under water so as not to lose the smoky flavour. Remove seeds and core, cut the flesh into large pieces and pat it dry with kitchen paper to eliminate the cooking liquid, which would otherwise water down the sauce.
3. In parallel with step 2, while the peppers rest in the bag, toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly darkened. In the same pan, toast the pita bread for the sauce (40 g), cut into small pieces, until crisp. Transfer everything immediately to a plate to stop the cooking and let it cool slightly; crumble the bread.
4. Put the patted-dry peppers, the warm walnuts, the crumbled toasted pita, the garlic, the Aleppo pepper and the cumin into the blender. Pulse in bursts, scraping down the sides, until the mixture is creamy but still has some texture: muhammara should not be smooth, the walnuts should be perceptible.
5. With the blender running on low speed, slowly drizzle in the lemon juice, the pomegranate molasses and the 100 ml of oil, so as to obtain a well-emulsified and stable cream. Transfer to a bowl, taste and adjust the salt; if more acidity or sweetness is needed, adjust with lemon or molasses. If it is too thick, add a splash of oil.
6. Spoon the muhammara onto a serving plate and make a well in the centre with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and finish with the 20 ml of extra virgin olive oil drizzled over the top.
7. Warm the pita bread (200 g) on a griddle or in a hot oven for a few minutes, until crisp at the edges: check often, as it quickly goes from soft to dry. Cut into triangles and arrange around the plate for dipping.