Muhammara – Syrian Red Pepper and Walnut Spread

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 1
   Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet.

   Baking pan
2. 2
   Roast the peppers whole in a hot oven (220°C / 430°F) 30 minutes, turning, until the skin is blackened and the flesh completely soft.

   ⚙ Oven roastingOvenBakeware

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.
3. 3
   Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly and leave 10 minutes.

   Bowl

   💡The steam in the covered container separates the skin from the flesh, so it comes off easily. Don't rinse under water: the smoky flavor washes away with it.
4. 4
   Peel off the charred skin, remove the stem and seeds from the peppers and drain off the liquid.

   Colander

To assemble

1. 5
   Grind the roasted vegetables in a blender with the walnuts, garlic, tomato paste, lemon juice, cumin, chili, sugar and salt, to a smooth spread.

   ⚙ Grinding in a Food ProcessorBlender

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
2. 6
   Add the olive oil in a thin stream, while the blender runs, until the spread is smooth and creamy.

   ⚙ Fat in a Thin StreamBlender

   💡The thin stream is everything: fat that goes in too fast can't bind, and the sauce breaks. For mayonnaise and hollandaise, if this happens, start with a fresh yolk and slowly add the broken sauce to it; if the sauce is too thick, thin it with a teaspoon of water.
3. 7
   Add the breadcrumbs and stir, to thicken the spread.
4. 8
   Serve at room temperature with a little olive oil on top.