Muhammara Recipe

Muhammara

1) 1 large beer glass (400 ml) full of high-quality red pepper flakes (about 100 to 150 grams) [I prefer the Bağdat brand]*

2) virgin olive oil

3) juice of 3-4 large lemons, squeezed

4) 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin

5) ½ to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

6) ½ to 1 head of garlic, peeled and crushed with a pinch of salt (or squeeze in a garlic press)

7) 3-4 slices of dry bread (remove the crust), crumbled (or about 25 g of prepared bread crumbs, like for breading chops or fish)

8) 200-250 grams walnuts, broken in pieces

* Bağdat brand (or another) “Kırmızı Pul Biber” are available in almost any Turkish market in Germany. The important thing is to use red pepper flakes without any seeds. See the link below:

Loosely fill the water glass with the red pepper flakes (don’t pack them tightly). Then pour virgin olive oil over the red pepper flakes until the oil just reaches the level of the pepper flakes (it will take a few minutes for the oil to settle and fill the glass), but don’t overfill. Let the red pepper and olive oil mixture stand at least over night, longer if you have the patience – even as long as a week.

Pour the lemon juice (together with the pulp if you wish, but strain out the seeds), the crushed garlic, cumin and black pepper into a blender (Osterizer) and blend for a few seconds. Add the broken crumbs and blend until smooth.

Slowly pour the red pepper-olive oil mixture into the running blender (or use a bowl and a mixer stick “Stabmixer”) and blend the mixture thoroughly until the pepper flakes, oil and lemon juice spice mixture reaches a creamy consistency.

If it becomes too thick, add some olive oil and/or lemon juice. If it is too thin, add just a bit more bread crumbs. Be careful with the bread crumbs; too much can easily make the mixture too thick and bog down the blender. DON’T ADD THE WALNUTS YET!

Break the walnuts into small pieces (I usually leave them in the bag and whack them with my fist or a beer / wine bottle). Then add the crumbled walnuts to the red pepper mixture and mix everything with a fork. Some advocate not adding the walnuts to the blender; fold them into the pepper-oil-spice mixture only with a fork. Others, who might prefer a creamier texture, may want to blend the walnuts with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice and then add the mixture to the pepper-oil-spice mixture. I’ll leave up to your individual taste. Try it both ways to see what you prefer.

Spread the muhammara on bread or use it as a generic dip and enjoy! If you are going to use it as a dip for chips, you should probably make it a bit thinner.

Afiyet olsun! – Bon Appetit! – Guten Appetit!

Worzel Gummidge

ttp://www.bagdatbaharat.com.tr/urunler/pul-biber-2/