Syrian Muhammara Recipe

Roast the peppers:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Roast the peppers for 35-45 minutes (depending on their size and your oven) or until they are soft and the skin is blackened and blistered.3 red bell peppers
2. For a quicker version, quarter and deseed the peppers and cook them under the grill of your oven. Keep an eye on them; 5 to 10 minutes should be enough for the pepper pieces to blacken and blister.
3. Prepare peppers: Remove the peppers from the oven and immediately place a piece of plastic wrap directly over them. This will make peeling them easy. Leave them until cool enough to handle, then remove the peel and the seeds.

Muhammara dip:

1. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan without any added fat. Keep a close eye and shake the pan frequently to prevent burning, as it can happen fast if you're not careful. Once the walnuts are nicely toasted, immediately transfer them to a plate.¾ cup walnuts/ 90 g
2. Make breadcrumbs: Remove the crust and break the bread into smaller pieces. Process them until you get coarse breadcrumbs.2 oz white bread / 60 g
3. Process: Add almost all the walnuts (leave a few aside for the garnish), peppers, garlic clove, pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, and spices to the food processor and process until smooth.1 garlic clove + 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper flakes + 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses + ¼ cup tomato paste / 60 g + fine sea salt
4. Slowly pour in the olive oil while the motor is running.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil / 60 ml
5. Adjust the seasoning with salt. Transfer muhammara to a serving bowl, drizzle it with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining walnuts, sumac, and fresh thyme leaves (optional) just before serving.